Serrator's Web
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: The Rangers now know that Serrator is on the scene, and with Dekker by his side is stronger than ever. The only quesiton is, what does he have planned? And what part does the Cursed Warrior have to play?
1. Prologue

**A/N: **The first chapter here is more of an epilogue, just something to keep things ticking over until I see the next ep. Hope you enjoy it.

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, characters etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – may be some mild adult themes.

It had been a long time, but there was a part of Brenda that felt strangely good about getting back to the office. Stepping off the elevator, she heard a round of applause, and couldn't help but smile as she saw the staff at the Department of Health waiting for her. They had strung a banner across the office bearing the message "Welcome back Brenda."

"Aw, come on guys, you didn't have to do this." She told them, becoming a little overwhelmed by how much the greeting meant to her. She started to make her way slowly over to her office. The only thing she noticed that was different was that one desk was empty. Clearly, Superintendant Ramsay had yet to replace Erica following her arrest. She was sure that meant that they would all have more work to do to cover for the extra workload, but after so long n the shelf, she figured that a little paperwork would be a good place to start back.

She got to the office, shaking hands with a few of her well-wishers on her way, to find a stack of paperwork in her in-tray, and some gifts waiting for her. There was a fruit basket, addressed from the rest of her colleagues. There was a teddy-bear the size of a toddler sitting there, addressed from Superintendant Ramsay there too. In her time recovering, she had heard the details of the case against Erica, and had since found out Ramsay had been questioned in suspicion of the shooting because he had feelings for her. She just sighed and moved it aside. It was clear that he still did, and that she might just have to have a word with him to let him down gently.

She turned her attention to the last gift on her desk, a large bouquet of red roses, addressed from Ji. She couldn't help smiling as she saw it. He had only seen her that morning, indeed, he had dropped her off, meaning that he had only left her a few minutes previously. Yet, he had still obviously arranged for these flowers to be delivered to her office. She read the card, smiling a little.

"I'll deal with the monsters, you deal with the unsafe food. Your dearest Ji." She read aloud, before moving the bouquet off the table. As she did so, she looked to the door, seeing someone in a long coat and a hat waiting there.

"Um...hello?" She asked. "Can I help you?"

"Of course you can." A chillingly familiar voice told her. She pulled off the hat and ditched the coat, revealing herself to be Erica. Brenda started to breathe rapidly as she saw the gun in her hand. Erica started to advance on her. "You can die like you were supposed to the first time!"

Brenda screamed as she snapped upright on the bed. She looked around, finding herself in her room, soaked in sweat. It wasn't the first time she had experienced nightmares like this. She had been experiencing such horrifying images for a while now. Checking her watch, she realised that it was almost midday. She just pulled herself up from the bed and pulled on a robe.

"Ji?" She called out. She furrowed her brows. Ji had moved in temporarily while she recovered, and she was sure that he had to have heard her screaming, and she wanted to be sure she could explain. "Ji?"

Heading through to the living room, she found that the sheets and the pillow he had been using to sleep on the couch were rolled up neatly, and set aside for the day. She looked around for any signs of him.

"Ji?" She called out again. As she went to the table, she found a note addressed to her on the table in Ji's handwriting.

"Brenda, I saw that you were running low on some essentials and went to the stores." It explained. "I was thinking that perhaps you could meet me at Antonio's cart for lunch at around one? It's been a while since we went out for fresh air. He'll be by the Sea Life Centre today (he is aware of the irony, but he insists that the visiting dolphin show increases sales...go figure.) Looking forward to it, love, Ji."

She just smiled as she thought about it. At the doctor's request, they had taken a few short walks into the city whenever she felt up to it. It looked like a nice day out, and she was sure that Ji had factored that into his plans. She headed to the bathroom, and started to run the shower. If she hurried, she would be able to get there in good time.

In another part of town, Spike and Bulk were round at Cody's place training. With Serena on hiatus with whatever personal problem had caused her to leave town without any further explanation, they were lucky enough to find that Cody and his dad were willing to help them train.

Cody's dad had an entirely different form of training than Serena had, but it was no less effective. He always started training with some yard work, something that served the dual purpose of helping Cody and his father with their chores, and also...Spike had to admit, it was a hell of a workout!

Spike swung his axe, chopping into a log that he had set up on a tree stump, cleaving it in half. He smiled as he saw that the pile was almost finished, but his smile faded as his uncle staggered back into view, carrying another load in a bag. Cody's dad was jogging ahead of him, yelling at him to go faster as he carried a bundle almost twice the size of the one his uncle was carrying.

"Aw man, are you kidding?" Spike complained. Cody just looked up from where he was hand-sawing some planks.

"Come on, it's not so bad." Cody assured him with a shrug. "It keeps us in food."

While the Shiba Clan had paid for the materials for Cody's ancestors to build this house centuries ago, and had paid for the upgrades over the years to bring it up to modern standards, the guardians were expected to deal with their own expenses within reason. Cody's father supplied some local stores with high-end hand-carved furniture. They had seen many examples of his work in the house, but most of it he sold to nearby stores.

"Dad, do you think we might actually get around to some Martial Arts today?" Cody teased his father. "Spike's beginning to feel a little like Danny LaRusso."

"Hmm...I guess I have enough wood to be getting on with." He conceded, looking at the work they had done. "Alright Cody, show Spike where the equipment shed is and fetch some bokken. Bulk, would you like to help me fetch some water?"

"Oh God yes!" Bulk groaned, looking like he was ready to pass out. As they went around the back, Cody shook his head and laughed a little.

"I've got to admit it, your Uncle's pretty tough." He conceded. "I have a feeling dad saw him and thought he wouldn't be able to hack the pace."

"Yeah, a lot of people underestimate him." Spike agreed, looking around the equipment shed as they went inside, turning on the light. "Serena always said she was really surprised how well he took to the training."

"You know Serena?" Cody asked him. "Well, don't take it personally. My dad's always believed in training full-tilt. It's pretty much been that way in my family for generations."

"So...your family taught their style down generations?" Spike asked him. "Kind of like Serena's family?"

"Yeah, it dates back to our ancestors." Cody replied. "It's just always been kind of a tradition. Some families fish, some families, like Serena's farm...we carve wood and learn Martial Arts."

"Wow, that's...actually kinda cool." Spike conceded. "So, is there much money to be had in carpentry?"

"It keeps us living pretty comfortably." Cody said with a shrug. "I guess at some point dad would like it if I took up the family trade."

"So, the end of term's only a month away." Spike said with a little smile. "I guess your school will be looking forward to their social."

"I guess so." Cody answered as they gathered up equipment. "It's never really been my scene. I guess I never really worried about stuff like that."

"Really? You don't have friends you hang around with or...?"

"Yeah, because there are so many kids that are into woodwork and kendo." He chuckled. "So are you going to your social?"

"I'm going with the guys." Spike told him with a smile. "It's been ages since I've been to a school dance. I can't wait..."

"So...um...are you going with anyone?" He asked. "You know...like a date?"

"Nah, nothing like that." Spike said, waving off the suggestion as they went to the front yard, dumping their equipment there. "We're just going to have a good time. After Melanie, I'm going to lay off the girls for a good while."

"So...you and Vicky aren't...?" He asked. Spike just looked at him.

"No." He replied in disbelief. He found it a little odd that Cody seemed to start smiling as he heard this.

"But I thought...you really aren't..." He started to shift uneasily. "So you wouldn't mind if I...you know..."

"I guess not." Spike said with a shrug. Cody just started beaming brightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"I guess I can ask dad for an advance to get myself some decent clothes for the dance." Cody told him. "Presuming she says yes of course. I guess I go to a formal after all. I'd prefer to go to yours anyway, there aren't any kids at my school I'd like to hang around with."

"Well, it'd be cool to have you there." Spike agreed, picking up a bokken and pacing the yard as Cody's dad and his uncle returned with the water. He grabbed a cup, filling it and handed it to Spike.

"Alright, it's kind of hot today, and the last thing I want is anyone passing out." Cody's father told them. "Rest up for a few, and then we'll begin."

As he started to drink, Spike couldn't help looking at Cody, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the thought of going to what Spike was under the impression would be his first school dance, but something else started to gnaw at him. He couldn't help thinking about what Cody had said about asking Vicky to go to the dance with him. He didn't know why, but as he thought about it, his stomach started to knot up. Cody just took a cup and tapped it to Spike's before starting to drink. Spike knew he was a good guy, so why did the thought of him asking Vicky out bother him?

Back in her apartment, Brenda had finished getting cleaned up and dressed, and was hurriedly brushing her hair. She checked her watch and realised that she now only had about twenty minutes left to get to Antonio's fish cart for their date. She gathered up her things, shoving them into her purse, before heading to the door.

As she faced it though, she suddenly stopped. She could feel her mouth starting to dry out, and her heart began racing faster, making it hard for her to breathe. Although she had left the apartment a couple of times since the shooting, she had only done so until now with Ji. The last time she had even answered the door on her own, it had resulted in her almost on an assault charge when she had panicked and pepper-sprayed a UPS courier.

She could remember vividly seeing him reaching into his jacket, and while she now knew it to be a perfectly innocent gesture, knowing he was only going for a pen so she could sign for her delivery, she had panicked.

She didn't remember much about the night she was shot. It was one of the things that had made it hard for the cops to find the culprit, and the doctors had explained that it was not uncommon for people to not remember the incident that caused a major trauma, she did recall some of it. She could remember seeing someone approaching her, reaching into a jacket, and then hearing the shots before her memory faded.

In the times she had gone out of the apartment with Ji, she had found herself getting nervous around people, but while she was with him, she knew that she would be safe with him. When she was with him, it wasn't as hard. She would occasionally find herself staring whenever she saw someone go for a purse or a jacket. She had even once had a bit of a start near the local park when she thought she had seen a gun, only to realise it was only a kid with a Super Soaker.

Now though, she just stared at the door, and found herself feeling distinctly sick. All she could imagine was what she was seeing in her nightmares. She started to get closer, looking through the peep hole, but she could only see a small section of the hall. She could just imagine someone waiting for her, just out of view, waiting for her to leave the safety of her apartment.

She reached out for the door handle, and her hand started to shake. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to turn it and open the door.

She eventually just retreated to the couch, drawing her knees to her chest and cowering into the cushions.

Meanwhile, over at the Sea Life Centre, Ji sat in a deck chair by Antonio's fish cart, waiting for Brenda, drumming his fingers on the table as Antonio and Jayden served his wares to the public. Jayden just let out a huge groan.

"Ji, I know you're meeting Brenda here, but do you have ANY idea how irritating that is?" He complained. Ji just checked his watch.

"It's almost half past." He commented, completely ignoring Jayden's statement. "She's late."

"She's a woman." Antonio told him with a shrug. "My understanding is that they're meant to be late."

"Not Brenda, she's always been a stickler for punctuality." Ji told them, pulling out his cell phone.

"Maybe she's still sleeping?" Jayden suggested. "You did say her sleeping pattern's all over the place at the moment."

"Jay, I doubt even Emily coming down from a sugar high could sleep in this heat." Antonio complained, mopping his brow. "Are you sure you don't want anything? I could always just do a couple of shrimp to keep you going until..."

"I would rather wait." Ji told him, starting to dial his cell phone. "It isn't like her not to call."

He called her, and it took a while for her to answer. In fact, he had to dial again since the first time he called, her phone went to voice mail.

"Ji, maybe she..."

He held up a couple of fingers as he finally got an answer. He could hear noises on the other end, breathing, and sobbing.

"Brenda?" He asked her. "Brenda, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry." She sobbed. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was terrified. He started to become increasingly worried.

"Brenda, where are you?" He asked her.

"My apartment." She finally managed to say. Ji held the phone closely. "I'm sorry Ji, I couldn't..."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." He assured her. He then started to gather together his belongings.

"Is everything alright?" Jayden asked him, seeing the look on his face. Ji just shook his head.

"I shouldn't have tried to push her so quickly." He muttered as he looked around frantically. "I should have given her time...I..."

"Ji, what's wrong?" Antonio asked him.

"I need to go." Ji told them. "I'll call you later."

With that, he left the stand quickly. Antonio just put his arm around Jayden.

"I'm sure whatever it is he'll be alright." He assured him. Just then, another customer came up to the cart.

"Hey, that smells amazing!" He commented. "What do you have?"

"Take a look at my catch, see if anything appeals to you." Antonio told him. "I have some pretty nice trout."

"That sounds great." The customer replied. As Antonio started to work on the latest order, Jayden took a seat, looking down the path Ji had taken. He knew that he had gone to help Brenda, but he was starting to wish that he didn't take Brenda's care on himself. Ji had always taken his role in caring for Jayden and the other Samruai seriously. He only hoped that this wasn't one of those times that he had overstretched himself and forgotten that sometimes, even carers needed care.


	2. Dekker's New Blade

**A/N:** Alright, kind of a long one here, just to explain a few things. In my storyline, Bulk actually has quite a bit of money, so the plot of "Runaway Spike" really doesn't fit mine AT ALL! I'm going to do a storyline that does fit, and does include some of the key scenes in the episode, but for the most part, the script is being burned!

Secondly, to publically answer a question in a review, in my fic, Cody is around 14-15 years old, the same age as Jimmy, and a freshman in High School. He may have looked like a 'little kid' in the episodes, but I am planning to write him as merely small for his age.

At the Shiba House, Mia and Kevin were working to prepare something for dinner for later in the evening. Although Mia tended to do a lot of the cooking duties, especially now that she was considerably better at it, they were starting now to notice exactly how much Ji did around the house. Although they rarely saw him doing much, they quickly noticed how quickly dust and dirt started to lie, how the ingredients didn't magically appear in the fridge already prepared, and how the laundry by the washing machine just seemed to sit there.

Mia kept casting glances over to the main room where Mike and Emily were playing a video game. Kevin just nudged her.

"Maybe they should help." He suggested.

"That's not what I was looking at." Mia told him. Kevin just furrowed his brow.

"Jayden ran off with Antonio to work." Kevin reminded her, waving a kitchen knife in their direction. "I know we're engaged, but I didn't expect to have a couple of teenagers quite yet."

Mia just sighed and looked to Kevin.

"Emily's going through a lot. You've seen how she's been since Serena left." Mia told him. "I just don't think pushing her too much right now is..."

"So instead you give her time to stew over everything?" Kevin asked her. Mia just groaned.

"Don't think it hasn't occurred to me that she needs stuff to take her mind off things." Mia told him. "I just thought, maybe Mike could keep her distracted..."

"Emily, you're not even trying!" Mike complained. "Seriously, I've taken you out four times in a row with the riot shield. You could..."

Emily just ripped the handset out of the console, causing an error message to come up on the screen to inform them of the complication, before shoving it roughly into Mike's chest.

"Mike, I told you I didn't want to play in the first place!" She yelled at him. "I hate guns, I hate Modern Warfare, and I hate..."

"Whoa, calm down." He begged her. "You liked it..."

"Mike, video games are your thing, I get it! Just don't think that they're mine!" She screamed at him. She crossed her arms defiantly as he put the handset aside, coming towards her. He was trying to keep her mind off everything in the house, but it seemed like something had set her off.

"Emily..."

"Do you think I like you showing off all the time?" Emily grumbled. "I know you're good at video games. I know you play them all the time; I don't need to spend the whole day bored out my skull while you kill me over and over..."

"Mike!" Mia called out. Kevin watched as she took a herb jar and, under the counter so he couldn't see, emptied it into the trash can. She held up the empty jar. "I've run out of oregano. Could you go to the store and get some?"

"But..."

"The sauce will be ruined without it." Mia told him. He looked to Emily, seeing she was still seething, and thought better of it. Gathering his jacket, he went in search of the missing herb.

"Kevin, didn't Ji say he wanted you to do some filing in his study?" She asked her fiancé. He knew her well enough to know that this was a subtle hint to just go and leave her alone with Emily. He just kissed her on the cheek and left. Mia wasn't especially subtle though given the look Emily gave her. She knew that Mia wanted to talk to her.

"Emily..."

"He started it!" Emily told her. "I don't like that game!"

"Emily..."

"Brenda was only shot a couple of weeks ago and he wants me to play...?"

"So you expect him to stop playing fighting games too?" Mia asked her. "Maybe he should throw away all his Final Fantasy games because of all the real monsters..."

"Alright I get it." Emily muttered as she sat down. Mia just reached out to her, taking her hand.

"He's trying Emily, he really is." She told her. "Maybe you should cut him a little slack. At least don't let it get to the point where you're assaulting him with joypads."

"I guess." Emily grumbled. "He is sweet. I know he's trying his best, but sometimes, I just...I don't know what I want."

"Well, maybe that's something you should think about." Mia suggested. "You did spend a lot of time with Serena. Now she's gone..."

"She's not GONE!" The Yellow Ranger screamed at her. "She's coming back!"

"Alright." Mia answered, realising she had said the wrong thing. "But until she comes back, maybe sitting around doing nothing isn't the best use of your time."

"Then what do you suggest?" Emily asked her.

"Well, I can't say, that's up to you." Mia told her. "But until then, there is a load of laundry sitting there that isn't doing itself."

Emily just huffed, before heading to the washing machine and starting to load it roughly. Mia knew it wasn't ideal, but until she could figure out some way to keep Emily occupied, it was the best thing she could think of.

The evening trade was going well, and spirits were high in a lively pub near the Firth of Forth. As a few men left, they saw a bright red glow under a nearby car, before three figures shot out, appearing on the ground before them. One of them, and Asian-looking woman, staggered against a car, while another, a man with heavily-pronounced facial tattoos, shot like a torpedo, slamming head-first into the side of a van, denting it. They all just stared at the three, open-mouthed.

"What are you looking at?" Jindrax snapped, rubbing the crown of his head. The three men ran off, and by the sounds of their screams, they seemed to be vowing not to drink again. Jindrax sat up, still rubbing his head as Toxica came over to check on him.

"How was it for you?" He asked her.

"I feel a little woozy, but I'm fine." Toxica told him.

"Travelling by Gap takes some getting used to." Dayu assured them. "What is this place? I thought you said..."

"Uh, we thought just waltzing into the site of a country's strategic defence would be a little bit premature." Jindrax told her. "We figured we might take a little while to consider our options."

"Alright." Dayu replied. "So, we're going to observe the base?"

"I think that might be a little easier if you weren't so...conspicuous." Toxica commented. Dayu looked down, seeing herself in her Nighlock form. So far, she had twice changed back into her human form, though neither time was at her own volition. To the best of her knowledge, she could not change back without an external power.

"Perhaps I can scare..."

"You can scare us into a butt load of trouble." Jindrax interrupted her. "There's at least one Ranger at the base."

"There's a Ranger here?" Dayu asked them.

"Not one of yours." Toxica clarified. "We've only seen him once before, but we know he still has power."

"Then perhaps blending in for the time being would be for the best." Dayu replied sadly. "Is there anything you can do?"

"Toxica, what do you say?" Jindrax asked her.

"One magical make-over coming up." She replied, hitting Dayu with a beam from her staff. Dayu shifted form, turning into her human form once more, this time dressed in local clothing. She shifted a little as she tried to get used to the unusual clothing.

"This is a little uncomfortable." She commented.

"It's what everyone nearby wears." Jindrax assured her as Toxica recalled her staff. "Alright, let's see about something to eat, I'm starving!"

"He's always hungry." Toxica assured her, rolling her eyes. "You get used to it."

With that, they went inside.

Spike arrived at his Uncle's place, slumping down onto the couch. Bulk wasn't far behind him, grinning broadly, though clearly exhausted. Cody's dad was something of a taskmaster when it came to training. Indeed, compared to Serena, he was more akin to Torquemada than a sensei, but as he sat down, he let out a satisfied little breath.

"That was amazing!" Bulk commented. "I haven't worked out that hard in ages!"

"Yeah, Cody's dad is pretty great." Spike agreed in a subdued way. He pulled out his cell phone and searched it for any messages or missed calls. Bulk just looked up at him wearily.

"You've been pretty quiet." He commented. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine Uncle Bulk." Spike rushed out to reassure him, continuing to look for non-existent messages. He wasn't especially happy, but he couldn't quite understand why. He had been genuinely thrilled when Cody and his dad offered to train them until Serena came back. Cody was a pretty cool kid all things considered. He was a loner, much like Spike had been, but just like Spike, he hadn't become bitter or isolated with it. He wasn't totally closed off from the idea of others coming into his life if that's what they wanted. Indeed, given how long he had spent alone, he was actually surprisingly friendly and sociable.

It was only when he mentioned the dance that things started to bother Spike. He wasn't interested in his own school dance, but he wanted to go to Central's. More specifically, it was when he mentioned that he wanted to ask Vicky to go to the dance with him.

Spike liked Cody, and he liked Vicky. They were both really quite sweet, thoughtful people, but there was just something about the whole deal that just didn't fit for him.

Unless Cody had gone straight from training to Vicky's place, something he doubted very much since Cody had said something about staining some furniture for his father, then he hadn't asked her yet. It wasn't really an issue yet as far as he was aware, after all, he didn't even know if she would be interested...

That was when he paused. What did it really matter to him if she was? He knew that Cody would treat her well, so why did the thought bother him so much. If they did go out, and they did decide that they had something, that would be a good thing wouldn't it?

His phone bleeped, and he checked the message. It was from Mal.

'Heading to the arcade with the others, tonight's the night I get the high score on dance hero. Want to come?'

"Uncle Bulk, is it alright if I go to the arcade?" Spike asked him. Bulk just waved it off.

"As long as I don't have to move, fine." He told him. "Get something while you're out."

"I'll be back later." Spike told him as he left.

Meanwhile, in a forest outside the city, Dekker was sitting by a campfire, cooking himself up a meal. Occasionally, he cast a glance at the Bane of Life, while he tried to make sense of his thoughts.

He knew that trusting a Nighlock was Folly. Indeed, he was certain that it was only a matter of time until Serrator would double-cross him. He had already sold out at least two of his own Nighlock to further his own agenda, whatever that was, so Dekker, one who had no loyalty to him other than one of convenience, would not be of any concern to him.

He prodded some coals with a long stick and he thought about some of the things that troubled him in particular. For one thing, Skarf, one of the Nighlock that Serrator had sold out to his plans; Dekker had been personally ordered to destroy. He was no stranger to having blood on his hands, but this was one that did trouble him. He was raised on the tenants of bushido. He was raised to believe in the purity of the fair fight, of honourable combat. While he rationalised it that Skarf was a Nighlock, and as such had no heart and would have done the same to anyone if it was in his best interest, at the end of the day, he had turned on an ally in battle and cut him down, all for the promise of what he sought. He was no mercenary, no dog of war, but now he was not so sure.

He also remembered what had happened before he had left. The Yellow Ranger had confronted him, not even trying to fight. She didn't even bring a sword to bear. He could hear her words echoing in his mind.

"_You WANT to die?" Emily asked him incredulously. "You're sick! You're insane!"_

"_Perhaps..."_

"_No, you are!" She screamed at him. "You got something almost nobody else gets! You got a second chance! You got to come back! Serena would give anything to get Stephen back! Why would you fight so hard if all you want is to die? Why would you struggle and keep going if your life meant nothing to you? Why keep going if there's nothing worth going on for? WHY?" _

He didn't know Stephen. He knew OF him, he knew that he was connected to the Samurai, and he had a strong connection to the Yellow Ranger's sister.

He could remember a battle, a while ago now, where he had taken the Yellow Ranger's sister to draw Jayden into battle. He hadn't bargained on her coming to him instead, and he certainly hadn't banked on the power she had shown that day. By the end of it, he was buried under hundreds of tons of rock, only the power of his Nighlock form keeping him from being crushed into oblivion.

Thinking back now, he felt that power flaring up in her again. He could not believe the strength in her, but instead of fighting, she was so much more passionate about questioning him on his decision to seek his own destruction.

He knew that Serrator had killed this 'Stephen', and in a strange way, he mourned the loss. He didn't know him, but he knew that he was an innocent, that he was harmless, and that he was not a warrior. He smiled as he thought about this. He had a warrior's spirit.

He vaguely remembered a battle, in which Stephen had thrown himself onto his back, trying to wrestle him away from Serena and Jayden. His heart far exceeded his skill, and Dekker easily threw him off, but appreciating his bravery, he was careful to only wound him. Yes, it was a sad loss that one so brave was gone. His bravery exceeded his skill with a sword, something that undoubtedly was a factor in his demise.

As his thoughts went back to the Yellow Ranger though, he was struck by something odd. Although he could sense sadness and anger at the loss, it was like there was something even stronger in her, something that was reflected in her venomous tirade...it was disgust. She was offended by his insistence on seeking his own destruction. She didn't understand why anyone would seek to die when, as she put it, they would give anything to bring Stephen back.

He also couldn't stop thinking about something else she had made him think about. Why had he kept going? Why had he come back? Why had he tried so hard to defeat oblivion to come back to a cursed existence? He could remember facing The Judge, and he remembered defeating him, but after that, he couldn't remember anything of note. All he could remember, all he could focus on was...

The Bane of Life. It was not Urumasa. It was not his sword, the one that had driven his existence for centuries. It felt wrong in his hands. He didn't know where Urumasa was, or why he no longer possessed it, but the Bane of Life, while a powerful sword in its own right, was not his.

"Is something wrong with it?" Serrator asked as he arrived, seeing Dekker staring at it.

"It is a cumbersome blade." Dekker commented. "My preference was the nodachi, though I was also skilled in the katana. The broadsword..."

"I give you a weapon of power and you complain?" Serrator asked him a little incredulously. Dekker just looked to him.

"I merely mention that the broadsword is a style I am not accustomed to." Dekker assured him. "I have always said that it is the swordsman, not the sword that makes the difference. It just takes some getting used to."

"Well, I am sure you will have plenty of time." Serrator told him. "I will dispatch a Nighlock into the city. You are not to go with this one."

"I'm not?" Dekker asked him.

"Use this time to familiarise yourself with the Bane of Life." Serrator told him. "I wouldn't want you to be anything but your best for your duel."

"Serrator!" Dekker called after him as he was leaving. Serrator just turned to face him. "Are you sure that you cannot find Urumasa?"

"Why would I want you at anything but your best?" Serrator asked him. "Practice Dekker, your time will come soon enough."

Dekker just watched him leave, waiting a little while to ensure he was gone and not waiting to see what he was doing. He then turned back into the forest, ditching his robes, and snatching up the Bane of Life, running his hand along its blade. He knew that Serrator would not lie about one thing at least. His time was near. If he was to meet his end, he would ensure it was well earned, regardless of who struck the final blow.


	3. A Family Bond

Ji got to Brenda's apartment, making sure to knock before letting himself in with his key. From the tone in her voice when she called him, he could tell that she was afraid, and he had already been pepper-sprayed once when she had panicked before.

He found her on the couch, clutching the pepper spray in her hands, shaking like a leaf. He had seen her scared before, but this was a whole different level. She was truly petrified, so crippled by her panic that she hadn't even noticed him entering the apartment. He approached her slowly.

"Brenda?" He asked her, making sure he was moving slowly so he didn't panic her. She eventually looked around at him, tears streaming down her face. "Brenda?"

"I'm sorry Ji, I couldn't." She sobbed. "I tried, but I just couldn't..."

"I'm sorry Brenda, this was my fault." Ji told her. "I knew you were afraid, I could feel it in the way you held my hand, the way you held me so tightly when we left the apartment."

"I'm just so scared Ji." She told him. "I can't...I tried...I couldn't even turn the door handle."

"I know, and I'm sorry that I tried to make you." Ji told her. He started to make his way towards her slowly. "After what you've been through, it would be strange if you weren't afraid."

"You wouldn't have been." She muttered.

"The difference is, I've lived around violence all my life." Ji told her. "Whether it was my father's discipline, my futile efforts to take out the gangs, or the war with the Nighlock..."

"You wouldn't be afraid to go out the fucking door!" She screamed at him, throwing her can of pepper spray at him. He swatted it away as he watched her grab her head and wring her hair in her hands. He walked towards her slowly, finally reaching her and putting an arm around her.

"I need help Ji." She sobbed. "I can't spend the rest of my life in this apartment thinking every time the doorbell rings someone's going to try and blow my brains out!"

"Brenda..."

"I can't live this way Ji, I just can't!" She screamed at him. She slumped into him as he held her. "I think I need help."

"I'll be willing to provide all the help I..."

"That's not what I mean." She told him. He looked to him tearfully, cradling his face. "You've been amazing Ji, I don't deserve you."

"Brenda, it isn't a case of what we deserve." Ji told her. "If it was, then you wouldn't have been shot in the first place."

"Ji, I think maybe this is one of those things you can't handle." She told him. "I can't even leave my apartment without you. I think...maybe I need a professional."

"A professional?" He asked. "You mean a psychologist?"

"Or a psychiatrist, or...hell, whoever deals with this kind of thing." She sighed. She caressed his face lovingly with her hand. "Ji, I love you..."

"And I love you." Ji replied, kissing her softly, before sweeping away some of her tears. "I shall talk to Jayden about releasing some funds. If you need help, you will receive the best care money can buy."

"Jayden's...?" She started to say. "Ji, I can't ask..."

"You aren't asking." Ji told her with a little smile. "Besides, I think you underestimate how deep the pockets of the Shiba clan are. The Samurai were not known for being gauche and outlandish with their demonstrations of wealth."

"Ji, that's his money." She told him. "If I need help..."

"Jayden is my son in every way that matters barring blood. If I ask it, he will ot even think about it." Ji assured her. "You are precious to me, and I will not lose you, no matter the cost."

Brenda just grabbed him, pulling him in to a long, passionate kiss. In some ways it hurt Ji to know that he couldn't help her himself, but all that mattered to him was getting her back to being the beautiful, strong, lively woman he loved more than life itself.

Mia had gone for a jog after preparing the dinner. Kevin had offered to go with her, but she had politely declined, she wanted to be by herself to think.

Emily's mood troubled everyone at the Shiba House. They all wanted the bouncy, clumsy, adorkable little Emily back, but so far that was looking as likely as Antonio quitting gold puns. No one could really blame her, no one was really feeling particularly great.

In the last month, they had see Stephen murdered before their very eyes and were unable to do anything to stop it. They had seen Serena pretty much break down, and they had watch her leave them for no other reason than the fact that her mere presence at the Shiba House would put them all in danger because all she could think about at the mere mention of Serrator's name was to ensure his destruction, regardless of what that would cost.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and looked across at a bench outside the nearby arcade. She knew Mike used to come here a lot, up until his friends nearly got annihilated by Rofer. She noticed something curious though, she saw that Spike was outside, sitting on a low wall, sulking. Although they had met before, she didn't know him especially well, but Serena had talked to them at length about Bulk and Spike, so she felt like she did. Seeing him looking so miserable, she approached him.

"Hey Spike, remember me?" She asked him. He looked up dejectedly and forced a smile.

"Yeah, you're Mia, you used to room with Serena right?" He asked her. Mia just nodded. It wasn't EXACTLY true, Serena and Stephen had their own room in the Shiba House, but she didn't see the need to correct him.

"So, what's the problem?" She asked him. "Are you out of quarters or something?"

"No, I've got plenty of change." He muttered. "I just don't feel like playing much."

"Oh?" Mia asked him. She looked in the window, seeing Cody and Micky on a Dance Hero machine, while Jimmy and Mal looked on, laughing and joking. She knew Cody, having met him not long before, but the others...she knew she had seen Spike with them before.

"Those are your friends right?" She asked him. "Wouldn't you rather be with them than out here?"

"They probably haven't even noticed I'm not there." Spike told her. He looked to where Vicky stumbled clusily off the podium, into Cody's arms laughing as they stepped off the machine, making way for Mal and Jimmy. "I guess this is karma for being such a dick about the whole 'King of YouTube' thing."

"I don't know, they seemed to have a good time at the concert." Mia reminded him as she sat down. She saw Spike looking at where Cody and Vicky were standing, looking at a claw grabber machine and discussing whether or not to play it. "Say, Cody's a pretty cool kid isn't he?"

"Yeah, Cody's great." Spike said somewhat half-heartedly. "He's pretty good at Martial Arts too. He and his dad are giving us great training."

"I notice he's spending a lot of time around Vicky." Mia commented. "Do you think they...?"

"Well, he's a freshman and she's a sophomore, but I guess being at different schools that won't matter so much." Spike commented, before shaking his head. "No, I'm sure there's nothing there. They're friends!"

"I see." Mia commented, picking up something in Spike's defensive demeanour about this subject. "What about if they weren't?"

"I guess Cody's a good guy, I know he'd be good for her." Spike commented. "He did mention he wanted to ask her to the formal and...HE'S A FRESHMAN!"

"Oh, is that a bad thing?" Mia asked him. "I thought toyboys were all the rage these days."

She saw the way Spike clenched his jaw as he looked at them. Cody had managed to win a stuffed giraffe, and gave it to Vicky. She started laughing and hugged him tightly. Spike let out a little laugh seeing that.

"What?" Mia asked him.

"I'm just remembering Vicky's laugh." Spike told her. "She has this cute little thing she does when she's really enjoying herself. It sounds kind of like a cross between a hiccup and a piglet grunting."

"Really?" Mia replied, giving Spike a little look. Spike had to do a double-take to appreciate that look.

"Wait, what...? NO!" He stammered. "She's...I mean...we're..."

"You're friends?" Mia asked him. "Well, if that's all it is, I guess I misread things."

As she got up, she got another thought and smiled.

"Say, you liked Serena training you right?" She asked. Spike nodded.

"Yeah?" He responded. "So?"

"Well, how about her little sister?" Mia asked him. "I could always ask Emily if she'd be willing to spend an hour or two a day helping Cody and his dad."

"I guess any help we can get would be good." Spike commented. "I mean, Cody is pretty amazing, he's got moves I can't even dream of pulling without giving myself a hernia."

"Since when was it a competition?" Mia asked him. She jerked her head in the direction of the arcade. "It'll probably be more fun in there. I'll see what I can do about Emily."

A she left, Spike stood up and straightened himself out. He wasn't sure why, but Mia had him thinking with what she had said. Why did the idea of Cody asking Vicky out bother him? Why was he so desperate to just shut his eyes and believe it wouldn't happen?

"I did promise I'd be there." He sighed, before heading inside.

The night wore on in the little pub in Scotland, and the patrons were coming and going in various states of sobriety. Dayu just nursed her drink, not that it mattered since alcohol had little effect on her given her half-Nighlock state, starting to become impatient as she watched Jindrax wolf down a fifth order of bangers and mash.

"Alright, are we here to get Urumasa or watch your gluttonous boyfriend eat his bodyweight in potatoes?"

"Jindrax!" Toxica hissed, kicking him under the table. He just belched as he slid his plate away from him.

"What? It'll be a while before..." He then fell silent and pointed to the door. "Bingo!"

Dayu looked around, seeing a black man, and a woman wearing spectacles entering the bar. They went up to the bar, ordered a bottle of wine, and sat at a booth. Toxica and Jindrax hid themselves behind menus, while Dayu just looked to them.

"They're at Faslane?" Dayu asked them.

"The guy's Joel Rawlins, Green Lightspeed Ranger." Toxica informed her. "The woman's his wife, Angela Rawlins. She's the leading researcher of supernatural phenomena on the planet."

"So Urumasa's right up her street." Dayu concluded. Jindrax just nodded.

"Yeah, that's about the size of it." Jindrax told her. "They have a couple of glasses here most nights. I figure we hang around, see if we can figure anything out."

"You just like the bangers and mash." Toxica groaned.

"OOH, and the rhubarb crumble!" Jindrax called out. "Waitress, waitress!"

Dayu just shook her head in disbelief. Although Jindrax's eccentricities were frustrating, and she could feel that she was so close to Urumasa she could almost taste it, she knew that his plan had merit. If these people were here with Urumasa, that seemed like a good enough way to find a way in.

Antonio and Jayden arrived back in the Shiba House after a busy day at the markets. Antonio had made a killing that day, and was not shy about celebrating the fact. He had been treating Jayden to performances of his favourite songs since they had started on their way home.

"Annie, you've been hit by..." He breathed, adopting his best MJ stance as he tossed his fishing gear aside. "Annie you've been struck by...a smooth criminal!"

"Alright Antonio, I think that's enough of the song and dance portion of the night." Jayden chuckled.

"I thought rock stars made you all hot under the collar." Antonio teased him. He saw that Jayden was smiling, but it was quite forced, and he wasn't convinced. He just sighed, helping him gather up the discarded fishing equipment.

"It's that thing with Ji earlier isn't it?" Antonio asked him. "You've been out of sorts all day."

"I just don't know if he's ready..."

Just then, the doors flew open and Ji came striding in. He approached Jayden, and stood before him. Both Jayden and Antonio remained silent as he did so. It was often hard to guage Ji's mood. He then slowly got to one knee and bowed his head before Jayden.

"My lord, as your vassal, I have something to ask..."

"Ji!" Jayden hissed, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't think this is needed..."

"I believe it is." Ji replied. "I must ask a tremendous favour of you, one I am not certain I will ever be able to repay."

"Uh...ok?" Jayden asked him. Ji just looked to him.

"Brenda has...a problem, one I am neither qualified, nor equipped to help with. I require help, professional help." Ji told him. "I have not had power of attorney over your accounts since you turned 21..."

"Ji, you've done so much for me, there is no question I will help you." Jayden assured him. He smiled and helped the older man to his feet, before hugging him warmly. "You've been there for me my whole life. It this is one thing I can do for you, I will ensure you have all you need."

"I thank you." Ji replied, bowing respectfully, before his emotions overcame him. He grabbed Jayden and pulled him in, hugging him enthusiastically. "My son."

As Ji left, Antonio came to Jayden's side.

"So, that's what it took for you to feel happier?" Antonio asked him. "You needed him to ask you for money?"

"You don't get it Antonio, Ji's always grown up around the whole Samurai thing. Self-reliance is a big part of the culture. Asking for help...needing help...it's not something that was done lightly."

"But...he's your dad." Antonio stated. Jayden just smiled.

"But his pride wouldn't let him ask for help if he didn't admit he needed it." Jayden told him. "That was what scared me. He was trying to do too much himself."

"So, you're happy that he's having problems?" Antonio asked him. Jayden just shook his head.

"No." He answered his boyfriend. "I'm just happy my dad feels like he can come to me when he needs it."


	4. Smoke and Mirrors

People were screaming, running around in a panic as Mia continued on her run from the arcade. She heard her Samuraizer bleeping, and knew that the Gap Sensor had picked him up, so she knew that she could continue to the scene, knowing that the others would be along shortly.

Arriving in a wide street, she saw a Nighlock in the middle of it, terrifying the people. She ran towards it, flipping out her Samuraizer.

"Go Go Samurai!" She screamed out, morphing into the Pink Ranger. She brought her Spin Sword up over her shoulder, screaming as she rushed towards him. The Nighlock just looked at her, and she could almost swear she saw it smiling. As she swung her sword with all her might, she found that it just passed straight through him with no resistance whatsoever, like she was slicing through empty space. Only the dissipating smoke indicated that she had gone through anything at all.

"What the...?" She asked in confusion, looking around for any signs of it. She saw the Nighlock again a few feet away. Leaping into the air, swinging for the fences, she found the same thing happening. A puff of smoke, and the Nighlock was nowhere to be seen.

"He's over here!" She heard Mike calling out as he arrived. She turned around, seeing Mike coming in on the opposite side of the street, thrusting at the Nighlock with his Forest Spear. He just looked around in confusion as once again, it simply vanished in a puff of smoke. The others arrived shortly afterwards, congregating in the middle of the street.

"Uh...what happened?" Mike asked her. "I mean, I know we're getting tougher, but surely the Nighlock aren't getting that easy to beat."

"I think that's a little optimistic." Kevin agreed.

"The same thing happened to me twice before you arrived." Mia informed them. "I guess this is one of the Nighlock's special abilities at work."

"Didn't we already fight a Nighlock we couldn't hit?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, that guy with all the red hair and the bad Yosemite Sam accent." Mike agreed.

"Please, do you really expect me to copy someone as lame as Dread Head?" The Nighlock asked as he stepped into view. His golden skull-like face seemed to be sneering at them as he brought forth his sword. "I'm the coolest guy around."

"Yeah, so cool you won't stand and fight like a man!" Mike called out, converting his Forest Spear back into a Spin Sword. "I'm going to cool your jets!"

"Let's see what you have!" The Nighlock replied. He and Mike exchanged blows and insults for a few seconds, before Mike caught him with a telling blow across the chest. The Nighlock started staggering around in pain.

"OK, you've got some moves, but this is cool!" He stated as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Rangers all formed up a circle, looking around for any signs of the Nighlock.

"Alright, where did he go?" Kevin called out.

"There he is!" Antonio called out.

"Wait, he's over here!" Jayden announced.

"I've got him here!" Mike added.

"Wait, I see him too!" Emily called out. "What's going on?"

"He moves faster than Antonio!" Mia concluded. Eventually, he stopped long enough for them all to see him in once place.

"Not quite pinky." He laughed. "Now you see us..."

As he said that, suddenly hundreds of versions of him appeared, before quickly disappearing back into him. "Now you don't! Now you know why they call me Duplicator!"

"Oh great, one Nighlock was bad enough!" Antonio complained as Duplicator finally stopped in one place long enough for them to focus on him. Seizing the opportunity, Kevin brought forth his Hydro Bow and fired a salvo into him. Duplicator fell to a knee, calling out in pain.

"You got the right one!" Mike yelled excitedly.

"Antonio, you're the fastest!" Jayden called out. "Quick, get him before..."

"Psych!" Duplicator taunted them as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing that it was yet another copy. Antonio stumbled through the smoke, swinging his Light Zord's blade.

Shortly afterwards, half a Dozen copies of Duplicator rushed into the street, taking on all the Rangers in a savage battle. The Rangers fought bravely, but struggled against the powerful Nighlock. They quickly learned that while Duplicator's clones would disappear when hit, causing him no harm, they could most certainly harm the Rangers! A short time after the battle began, the Rangers were forced to re-group, Kevin helping Mia to her feet. Just then, the clones disappeared, leaving Duplicator standing alone in the street. They saw him clutching at his chest, and a few cracks beginning to appear.

"You Rangers got lucky, I'm drying out!" He told them. "Next time, don't expect me to be so easy on you!"

With that, he disappeared into a Gap. Mia and the others all gathered in the street.

"Alright, that guy's seriously going to get on my nerves!" Mike told them. "How are we meant to beat him if we can't even hit him?"

"Well, I landed a hit." Jayden told them. "I felt it. I think I had the real one."

"Great, so all we have to do is figure out which one of them's the real one!" Emily grumbled. "That should be easy!"

"Guys!" Antonio called out, pointing up to a street camera. He just smiled. "The whole thing was on camera!"

"Great, so we can watch an instant replay of us having our asses handed to us!" Mike stated.

"Either that or we can watch the footage and see if there's something that can tip us off to which one's the real Duplicator." Antonio suggested. "If only attacking the real one has any effect..."

"Right, we'll work on that when we get back." Jayden told them. "Come on. The people here are safe. Let's go home and figure out what to do about Duplicator."

In the arcade, Spike had finally joined the others, and was currently playing a spirited game of Time Crisis II with Mal, leaving Jimmy, Vicky and Cody to watch on. Jimmy looked around and saw something that caught his attention.

"Oh holy crap, can you see that!" He screamed.

"What?" She asked him.

"The original Street Fighter!" He called out, pointing to a cabinet in the corner. "It's still working too! I didn't think anyone would still have one of these!"

He rushed over to the cabinet, fishing around in his pockets desperately for some change. Cody saw this happen and smiled. Looking to where Mal and Spike were playing their game, he realised he now had a moment with Vicky on his own.

"So...Spike tells me your end-of-year formal isn't far away." He began.

"Yeah, it is." She told him. "I normally just go to these things with my friends."

"So...you aren't going with anyone?" He asked her hopefully. She just shook her head and sniggered a little.

"I'm not exactly the kind of girl who has to worry about beating the guys off with a stick." She told him. Cody just started stroking his neck nervously as he tried to find some words.

"Well, I kind of said to Spike that I'd like to go to your formal." He informed her. "I don't really get on with the kids at Western. I usually give these things a miss, but I guess I'd like to see what its like."

"Cody, that'd be great!" She called out. "I mean, it is generally geared towards the popular kids, but it's usually a good night. I'm sure you'd have a great time!"

"Well, I was kind of wondering if you'd like to go." He said, struggling to get the words out as his mouth dried out. "W...w...w...ith me?"

Vicky almost choked on her soda as she heard this. She couldn't believe it. Was this really happening?

"G...g...go to the dance with you?" She asked him. "Like...as a date?"

"Yeah." He replied. He was starting to feel a distinctly nauseous feeling in his stomach as he waited for Vicky to answer.

She was feeling no better. Cody was a nice guy. He was friendly, funny...he was about her brother's age, something that she had to admit did feel a little weird as she thought about it.

She had another reason for not being sure about this, looking to where Spike was paying with Mal. She knew he was still a little raw about what had happened with Melanie, and she knew that it would take him a good while before he was ready to consider someone else, but she always had held out a hope that maybe he would see her that way.

As she saw Spike with Mal though, she couldn't help feeling dejected. He hadn't looked twice at her. He hadn't been interested in her, even before Melanie. How could she possibly compete with that? Looking back to Cody, she could see him starting to panic. It was a little cute to see, she had never anticipated someone looking at her like that. If Spike had any interest in her at all, surely she would have known by now right? She just nodded.

"Sure, that would be nice." She told him. Cody looked like he was ready to faint as she said this, his smile splitting his face.

"You mean it?" He asked her. "Really, wow that's just...wow!"

Vicky pulled him in, hugging him. She had been holding onto her hopes with Spike for a long time, but now she was starting to think that maybe it was it was time to just move on. She liked Cody as a person, and perhaps she would have a good time at the dance with him.

As they were in the middle of one of the major boss battles, Spike glanced across at Cody and Vicky, seeing them hugging. He felt his jaw clenching and his stomach starting to knot up. Seeing the way they were both smiling, he could just tell what had happened. He was sure that Cody had asked her. Mal just groaned.

"Come on Spike, Mad Dog just wasted us!" He complained.

"Oh...uh...sorry." Spike stammered.

"You've got the quarters!" Mal told him. Spike wasn't paying attention though. "Spike, the countdown..."

He was too late though. As Spike turned back to the machine, the countdown to put in more money to continue the game ended, and the Game Over message flashed on the screen.

"Nice one Spike!" He complained. He just sighed. "Oh well, how about a game of Tekken instead?"

Spike just nodded and followed Mal to the next game.

Back at the Shiba House, Antonio had tapped into the city's surveillance system and was scrolling through the cameras, trying to find the ones in the street the battle had been on. He called up a split-screen of four different cameras, and using an LCD projector, started playing them on the wall. He smiled as he turned off the lights and Jayden shut the blinds, allowing them to see the footage more clearly.

"Well, it looks pretty good from here." Antonio told them. "We can see the battle pretty clearly..."

"Including...the cameras caught me morphing?" Mia shrieked. "Oh my God, they could identify us and..."

"Hey, do you really think we never thought of that?" Jayden asked. "There are so many cameras around town; we knew we'd need to get that covered. Ji's had contacts in the surveillance department."

"So..."

"Trust me, all of us will have been caught on camera dozens of times." Jayden assured them. "The only reason we don't have people coming around is because we have friends making sure those clips...disappear."

"Well, watching this back doesn't make it any less embarrassing." Mike complained as he took some trail mix and started crunching it. "This isn't helping at all. I mean, all I see is me getting dumped on my butt again and again and..."

"Wait, what was that?" Mia asked, pointing to something. "Antonio, can you put this camera on the full screen and run it back?"

Antonio did as he was told, bringing up the image. They watched as Antonio rushed his copy of Duplicator, swinging through it with his Light Zord blade. She took the remote and scrolled through it again, and again, this time zooming in.

"What is it?" Kevin asked her. "What did you see?"

"Look at the beam from the Light Zord." She told them. Although it was still daylight when the first attack took place, the Light Zord still glowed as it was used. She had pulled in really closely, and it was only then they noticed something.

"The light just shines through him." Kevin commented.

"His copies are basically just smoke!" Jayden called out.

"It'll be getting dark soon." Mia told them. "If we're lucky, he'll come back then, when the Light Zord's beam will have more effect."

"I'll just go charge it." Antonio told them, picking up the Light Zord and taking it aside. "Something tells me this little guy's going to get quite a workout."

As Jayden turned the light back on, they all started to head off to prepare. Mia just grabbed Emily as she was about to go to her room.

"Emily, I wanted to talk to you." She told her. "It's about what happened with Mike earlier."

"I know, I should apologise." She muttered. "I know he was only trying to help."

"Well, you'll never guess who I ran into when I was out jogging." She told her. "Spike."

"Oh, right." Emily replied. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing alright. He asked after Serena." She informed the Yellow Ranger. "He said he and Bulk are training with Cody and his dad in the meantime."

"I guess at least that means they'll be keeping up to speed while she's away." Emily said with a shrug. Mia then just came a little closer.

"You know, Cody and his dad are good, but I was just thinking, you and Serena had the same teacher. Your styles are a lot more similar." She told her.

"Yeah, mom taught us both." Emily replied.

"I was just thinking, maybe Cody and his dad would appreciate a little help with them." Mia told her. "Maybe you could give them a few pointers. I know that the carpentry business keeps Cody's dad pretty busy."

"Wait, what?" Emily asked her. "You want me to train them?"

"I was thinking more like help them train them." She suggested. "Come on Emily, I'm not talking about a lot, just a couple of hours each day."

"I don't know..."

"You helped Serena with them once before remember?" Mia asked her. Emily just nodded.

"Yeah, I did." She answered. "I have to admit, they were a lot better than I would have thought."

"I'm not sure..."

"Oh, well, I guess that's alright." Mia answered. "I suppose you could always spend your days with Mike on his video game marathons."

"Mia..."

"I know how much you loved fishing with Antonio." She continued. Emily just rolled her eyes. "And somehow I think letting you loose in a kitchen..."

"Alright, alright." She groaned. "I guess I'll do it."

As she stomped out of the room, Mia smiled to herself. She had hoped she could get Emily to agree, to give her something to concentrate on other than the dramas at the house. She knew that Emily had never taught anyone before, but she had been there when Serena was teaching, and she hoped that between her skill and her observations, she could get by. The worst case scenario was that Cody's dad could do the lion's share of the work and take Emily's suggestions.

"Who knows, maybe if you pretend to have some fun, you'll end up having some by mistake." Mia whispered, before turning her attention to the dinner she had prepared earlier, switching on the cooker to re-heat it. If they were going to face Duplicator again, they would need their strength. All they could do now was hope that he showed up.

At the Sanzu River, Duplicator was busy soaking himself in the river, recovering his strength as Serrator approached him. He saw the powerful Nighlock approaching and smirked.

"I take it you saw how I embarrassed the Rangers earlier." He commented.

"I saw how you managed to dry yourself out." Serrator taunted him. "Until then, it was all rather impressive though."

"What have you done to them recently?" Duplicator sneered in disgust. Serrator just laughed.

"Now, I'm not interested in immediate results. Expediency is not a factor when you are immortal." He told him. "I believe in the long game. I have something in the works."

"That sounds like an excuse to me." Duplicator told him, getting out of the River. "Now, I'm fully rehydrated, I'm off to finish the Rangers."

"Now?" Serrator asked him. "In the dark?"

"Unlike you, I do believe in expediency?" Duplicator stated. "Why put off until tomorrow what you can do tonight? By the time morning breaks, the Rangers will be destroyed, and Xandred will be only too happy to award me the pick of the spoils of war."

With that, he disappeared. Serrator just turned and left.

"How hastily you rush to battle. Perhaps if you knew what I did, you would not act so quickly." Serrator chuckled. "Of course, if you do rush into battle and get yourself destroyed, that simply means less competition when the REAL endgame begins."


	5. The Light Zord's Triumph

Duplicator had returned to the city, by a hockey stadium, and was busy terrifying the citizens. The security team had sealed the doors to prevent him coming in, but he just laughed at the futile display. He had more than enough power to simply level the stadium; he didn't even need to break through the doors. Of course, doing that would end the panic too quickly. With the thousands in attendance at the game, he was sure that the Sanzu River had to be rising with each passing moment as he launched blasts into the wall.

The Rangers arrived, morphed and ready for battle. Mia was at the forefront of the line-up. Jayden just nodded in her direction.

"It's your plan Mia, it's your show." He told her. "You take the lead."

"Alright Duplicator, leave them alone!" She called out. Immediately, she started to feel a little self-conscious. This was a moment for her to lead the charge, and the best she could think of was 'leave them alone'? "We're sending you straight to the Dark Zone!"

"Ha, don't make me laugh!" He snorted, turning to face them. "Last time, the only reason you survived was because I dried out. This time, I'm fully re-hydrated! You don't have a chance!"

"Well, just stick around by yourelf, and we'll see who has the last laugh." Antonio called out. He and Mia looked to each other, waiting on his response. Duplicator just laughed.

"Now why would I do something like that?" He asked. He started to spit off, generating as many copies of himself as he possibly could. Antonio brought up the Light Zord.

"You Nighlock never get any less predictable." He responded. "Light Zord, full beam!"

The Light Zord shone brightly, casting out a massive wave of light, flooding the area. Duplicator and all his clones staggered, clutching their eyes, blinded by the bright light. The Rangers all squinted to see through, and could see the majority of them were misty, and translucent, but there was one solid Duplicator about thirty feet ahead. Mia clipped the Black Box to her Spin Sword.

"Super Samurai Mode!" She called out. "Alright Antonio, let's see if you can't thin out their ranks!"

"Light Zord, Flashing Strike!" Antonio called out, powering up his attack. He rushed through them, flashes of light going in all directions. Since he had already seen that light passed through the clones, he had thought that perhaps a strong enough light would destroy them altogether. Fortunately, he was proven right, as by the time the attack subsided; only the original Duplicator remained.

"Alright Mia, it's your turn!" Antonio told her. Mia started her Turtle Disk spinning.

"Super Air Wave!" She screamed, launching herself through the air at Duplicator. The Nighlock only just managed to clear his vision in time to see the powerful blade coming straight for him. Mia turned to face her friends as he pitched backwards, sparking as he fell, and exploded. The others just ran over to her.

"That was great!" Kevin gushed, hugging her tightly.

"Well, I couldn't have done it if it wasn't for Antonio's Light Zord." She reminded them. Antonio just held it up, kissing it...well, bumping his helmet to it anyway.

"Yeah, this guy really made all the difference." Antonio agreed. Just then, they saw Duplicator coming back this time at massive size.

"Why can we never find one of these guys with only one life?" Jayden sighed. "Come on, we know what to do."

Mia called forth the Claw Armour Megazord, preparing for battle. Antonio called the Light Zord to full size for back-up, something they were immensely grateful for, since Duplicator appeared to be able to perform his party trick at full size too.

"Wow, that is a LOT of ugly!" Mike commented. "Antonio, reckon Lighty can do his thing on this scale?"

"I guess there's one way to find out." Antonio said with a shrug. "Light Zord, scatter shot!"

The Light Zord fired out a series of power disks, which glowed brightly, carving through the clones. Eventually, all that was left was the original Duplicator.

"Alright, let's bring out the firepower!" Kevin suggested as they formed up their artillery cannon. Jayden produced the Bull Disk, presenting it to Mia.

"Let's give the firepower a little help shall we?" He suggested. "This is your show Mia, finish what you started."

"Can he do that?" Mike whispered to Emily. "I mean, I thought..."

In a flash of light, Mia was standing next to them in Shogun Mode. All of them looked at her in awe.

"Wow, I thought that was Jayden's party trick." Mike gasped.

"That is...kinda hot!" Kevin commented. Mia meanwhile, was just looking at her armour, trying to comprehend the power she was feeling. She knew that Super Samurai mode was powerful, but this was another level entirely! She shook herself back to attention and grabbed the control console, locking onto Duplicator.

"Alright, let's see what this can do!" She called out. "Lock on and fire!"

Duplicator disappeared in a massive explosion, leaving the Rangers victorious once more. Jayden put a hand on Mia's shoulder pad.

"You did well Mia." He complimented her.

"Yeah, that was great!" Mike added. "Besides, I'm just stoked that all of us will get that Shogun Mode. That armour looks sick!"

"We'll see Mike, it isn't a toy." Jayden replied. "Anyway, let's go home. We all did well tonight."

The following morning, Mia was walking with Emily, bringing her back to Cody's place. She arrived, finding Cody's dad in the yard, working with Spike, Bulk and Cody, doing yard work to warm them up. As he saw them coming, Cody's dad swung his axe into the chopping block, leaving it propped up and smiled.

"Mia, Emily, it's good to see you both." He told them. "Spike mentioned that you might be coming."

"I just thought that you might appreciate having a little more time to concentrate on your business." Mia told him. "Emily agreed to help with some of the training while you concentrate on some of your projects."

"I guess there are a couple of things I really should be a lot further along with." He agreed. "One client's been waiting for me to finish a dresser for about a fortnight. It'll be nice to finish a job on time for once."

"Alright then, Emily, why don't you go and let the guys know what's happening?" Mia asked her. Emily went around to where the others were working, leaving Mia and Cody's dad alone. Mia just went to him.

"I really appreciate this." Mia told him.

"Well, now we don't have the Bull Zord to take care of, I guess this is one of the ways we can help the Shiba Clan." He assured her. "So, the Serena thing's still bugging her?"

"Pretty much." Mia told him. "I was hoping that this would give her something else to think about."

"Well, Cody can be pretty distracting." He agreed. "I've tried my best, but he still occasionally finds ways to challenge me. That's why you have the Bull Zord."

"Well, Emily's pretty good." Mia told him. "She might need a little guidance with the teaching side of things..."

Her words tailed off as Emily saw what Cody, Spike and Bulk were doing. Instead of calling them away from the yard work, she actually seemed to be showing them how to do it properly. Cody's dad just smiled.

"It seems she approves of my warm-up methods." He chuckled.

"She's pretty familiar with most of the stuff you do here." Mia reminded him. "She grew up on a farm remember? She's been doing most of this stuff since she was a kid."

She made her way over, finding Emily with an axe, showing Spike the correct way to split a log. She let out a little cough.

"Alright Emily, I'm heading back now." Mia told her. "You have my number if you want a lift home..."

"Yeah, I'll call." Emily replied, waving her off, before turning her attention back to Spike. "You see, you need to keep as square as possible, and bring it down in one clean arc, straight up, straight down. It's really good practice for the vertical sword cut..."

As she turned to leave, Mia got a little smile on her face. She was sure that Emily would still have her moments of frustration, especially since one of the most frustrating things in the world to do was to teach, but she couldn't help feeling like even this little step indicated that maybe her idea would give her the break she needed.

In Scotland, Dayu, Toxica and Jindrax had been keeping an eye on the base, and especially on Angela and Joel since they had arrived. They seemed to spend most of their time on the base, but other than that, they only really went into the nearby town to go for a quick drink in the pub.

Dayu managed to find a decent position overlooking the fence as she waited for them to return. Jindrax and Toxica were with her as she waited.

"There are a lot of humans." Toxica commented.

"If they get between me and Urumasa..."

"Whoa there, cool your jets!" Jindrax interrupted her. "Look, we said we would help you find it, but we gave up our war on the humans a long time ago."

"So, you think we can just walk to the front door and ask for it?" Dayu asked him.

"No, we know we'll have to get in." Jindrax told her. "But there's no need for a blood bath. We didn't sign up for that. We'll help you find a way in, and we'll even help you take down anyone we absolutely need to, but if you want to go all hatchet job on the base, you're on your own. Got it?"

Dayu was desperate to get the Cursed Blade from the base. She had reason to believe that it was the key to destroying the curse on herself and Dekker forever, but right now, she could even get close to it. She had no idea how to remove the curse, but until she got her hands on it, it seemed to be a moot point. What did it matter if she knew how to destroy it if she couldn't get close to it?

She also knew what they had told her. There were at least two Rangers in the complex. They weren't Dayu's Rangers, but she doubted they would be any less troublesome. Without their help, she wasn't sure if she could get in. Anything could happen, but with their help, it would be a lot easier.

"Alright, fine, we'll do it your way." She replied. Just then, Toxica nudged them.

"It's them." She told them, pointing to a jeep, bringing Angela and Joel back to the base. They watched them clear security, before heading inside. Shifting a little, they waited to see where it went, before it finally came to one of the buildings, going inside.

"Alright, now we just wait to see where they go now." Jindrax told them. It was a long time, and as they continued to watch, Dayu couldn't help thinking that the end of her long quest, the day she would release herself and the man she loved from the curse was so close she could almost taste it.

"That's a long time." Toxica commented. "Maybe there's an exit we can't see?"

"Or maybe they never left." Jindrax suggested.

"What do you mean?" Dayu asked him.

"The power always felt distant, even from here." Jindrax reminded her. "Maybe it's underground!"

"Of course, the building...there might be shelters underneath!" Toxica replied.

"Alright, so we know where it is." Dayu stated. "So, any ideas how we get in?"

"Uh...let us think about that." Jindrax answered. Dayu just sighed. She was so close, and yet it was still out with her reach.

"I guess I've waited this long." Dayu commented. "Another day or so won't hurt right?"

Meanwhile, as Joel and Angela came back down towards their quarters, Carter came running over to them.

"Angela, sorry about this, but we need you." He stated abruptly.

"Now?" She asked him. "But...?"

"It's important!" Carter insisted. As he ran off in the direction of the lab. Angela and Joel followed him, arriving in the lab. They stared through the safety glass in amazement at what they saw. Urumasa, which had been sitting in a containment room on its own, being subjected to tests remotely by lasers and mechanical arms, was now glowing, far more brightly than they had ever seen it. The entire room was bathed in a deep, red light. Lasers that had been scanning it were going haywire, some of them rebounding and shorting themselves out in a hail of sparks.

"What the hell happened?" Angela called out as she ran to the control console to check on the scans.

"I don't know, about ten minutes ago all hell broke loose!" One of the other scientists screamed in response. "The energy readings are going off the scale!"

"What can you tell us?" Angela asked as some more sparks flew inside the room and one of the lasers exploded.

"I...I don't know!" He told her. "We haven't been doing anything different, but suddenly...this happened!"

"The sword's reacting to something." Angela told him. "What happened to that arm?"

She pointed to one of the mechanical arms, which was just a useless metal rod now.

"It melted!" He told her. "We tried to put it into deeper containment, but it just melted the arm!"

All of a sudden, the alarms stopped, and the glow started to subside. Angela hit the control for a fire extinguishing spray, dousing the room. She looked up, seeing the sword sitting, as inert and lifeless as she had ever seen it.

"What the hell was that all about?" Joel asked.

"Um...any thoughts?" Carter asked her.

"I have one theory, but it's just that." Angela commented.

"Well, it's more than the rest of us have." Carter told her. "Let's hear it."

"The sword burns anyone that tries to hold it right?" She reminded them. "That guy that tried to grab it needed skin grafts remember?"

"Yeah, that was pretty gnarly." Joel agreed.

"We already know it has a lot of power." Angela asked them. "What if it can sense the presence of danger?"

"Sense danger?" Carter asked her. "You think, maybe like its alive?"

"Exactly." Angela told him. "What does any animal do when it's in danger?"

"It defends itself." Carter said as a realisation came over him.

"It won't let anyone draw it right?" She asked them. "Well, what if it knew something even bigger was coming? Something even more dangerous to it? Like maybe something that could destroy it?"

"Then it'd pull out all the stops to prevent that happening!" Carter agreed. "Joel, call the Admiral, tell him to increase security. Call in reinforcements from other bases, whatever he needs!"

"What?" Joel asked. "Carter..."

"It's sit quite happily on a base with nuclear firepower for weeks without so much as a hiccup, and now it goes ballistic?" He asked in response. "Who here really wants to see what caused that little freak out?"


	6. Constructive Criticism

Coming to the end of her first week, Emily was at Cody's place, taking her new students through their paces. She didn't want to work them too hard since it was her first week, and she really didn't have too much experience training students. She tried hard to come up with a coherent lesson plan, but was finding it hard.

No one had shown her how to teach, or how to deal with students, on the whole, she had been left to her own devices. She was trying hard to remember what others had done with her, but that caused its own problems.

Her mother had been very patient and spent most of her time guiding her through everything with a gentle hand, and thorough explanation. Serena, when she gave her a little guidance, was a little rougher, showing her the flaws in her defences and her techniques with a strike just hard enough to make a point without really trying to hurt her. She also made sure that she interspersed it with a good measure of fun, making it as much a playtime activity as it was training, telling Emily that she found she took in more, and was more likely to practice when she was having fun.

Ji was somewhere between the two, having no second thoughts about bruising up the Rangers when it was necessary to make a point, he was also very particular in his technical skills, making the Rangers do everything hundreds, if not thousands of times to ensure that every symbol was absolutely correct, and every stroke of a sword exact to the millimetre. That said he was not above letting the Rangers blow off some steam and have a good time while they worked. Their spirited games of capture the flag generally left them all bruised, scraped, but also with huge smiles that would last until the following day.

The point was that she couldn't really pinpoint any one thing that they all did that made them good teachers. She couldn't even think of anything that all of them did the same way to try and figure out what actually caused people to learn. She saw Cody and Spike helping Bulk back to his feet after Cody had swept his legs out from under him, and smiled, heading over to them.

"Alright, that was...alright." She told them, finding it hard to think of what to say. "Um...alright, just...run a few sprints and call it a day."

Cody and the others put down their training gear and took off, leaving Emily to gather it up. Cody's dad came by; narrowly avoiding being hit by Bulk as they all ran off, laughing as they went. He came over to Emily, seeing her gathering up the equipment.

"They seem to be having a good time." He commented.

"Yeah, I'm trying not to push them too hard." Emily told him. "I've still not found my stride as a sensei, and I don't want to push them away while I figure it out."

"Look, I don't want to criticize, but would you like a little constructive advice?" He asked her. Emily just frowned as she looked at him.

"If there's anything you can suggest, sure." She replied, wondering what he was going to say. Since he had already used the word 'criticize', she guessed that it wasn't going to be praise. She knew she had things to learn, but didn't think she was doing anything badly. None of them had gotten hurt on her watch, and they seemed to enjoy her training sessions. He just put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. It reminded her somewhat of when her dad would talk to her. She had always been small, and Cody's dad was so large by comparison that his hand seemed to take up pretty much her whole shoulder.

"You're not their friend, you're their sensei." He told her flatly. She just looked at him a little confused.

"But...they are my friends." Emily reminded him. "I guess I don't know Bulk and Spike too well, but..."

"Hey, there's no reason you can't be their friend if that's what you want." He told her. "But while you're training, you can't be. You have to be their sensei first."

"I..."

"Emily, do you know one of the things that makes people listen to a good sensei?" He asked her. She shook her head. "Respect. They need to know that you're their sensei, and what you say goes. They're not with you to play; they're with you to learn skills that could very well save their lives one day. That can't be taken too lightly."

"They do respect me." She protested. "They're doing well. They're..."

"They've learned nothing of any note in the week you've been training them." He reminded her. "They've been playing, not training. You can keep this up for a year and they'll be at exactly the same level."

"You think they don't respect me?" She asked him.

"Not in the way they should respect a sensei no." He told her honestly. "I know it's not your fault, I just want to help you."

"But...they listen to me..."

"Then can I ask why YOU'RE clearing away the training equipment?" He asked her. Emily just looked to it all sitting there, waiting to be put away. "That equipment is a vital part of their training. If it serves them well, if it works to give them that little extra edge, it could be the difference between them walking away from a fight, and not. I always made Cody tidy away his training equipment, and he is responsible for cleaning it and maintaining it."

"You said you can't be their friend." Emily commented, trying to wrap her head around what he was telling her. "Cody's your son."

"He's my son, and I love him, that will never change." He assured her with a little smile. "Of course, because I love him, I want to know he'll be at his best and be safe. He was jumped at a comic book store a couple of weeks ago by a bunch bigger kids. He wiped the floor with them and came home with only a few bruises."

"That's...pretty impressive." Emily commented with a little smile. "If he'd been from one of the Noble Families, he'd make a great Samurai."

"During our lessons, I'm his Sensei first and his father second." He told her. "Outside of training, I know that because of that, I can be his dad first and know he'll be safe."

"So...what am I doing wrong?" Emily asked him. "Should I be kicking their asses?" He just laughed.

"Somehow I don't think that'll be your way of doing things." He told her. "Look, I know you're a nice person, but there are a few things."

"A few?" Emily asked him, suddenly shrinking away a little. She understood that he had some reservations, but she didn't think she was going far wrong. Now he was telling her there was a FEW things wrong?

"Well, no offence, but you don't really carry yourself like someone that's well..." He snapped his fingers a few times trying to think of the word. He suddenly got the word. "Well, tough."

"I...I don't?" She asked him.

"What would you think if you went to a bank for a mortgage and the guy sitting on his desk wearing Bermuda shorts and an Aloha shirt?" He asked her. He then gestured to her hair band, which had a couple of yellow flowers on it and her clothes, a Hello Kitty T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. "I know you have your own style, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, but you do kind of give off more of a little sister vibe than a sensei image."

"Is there anything else?" She asked him.

"The whole 'bouncy' thing, you should probably think about checking that at the door when it comes to training time." He told her. "Like I said, they should be in the mindset that playtime's over when they come to you to train."

He could see Emily looking a little dejected as he finished, and suddenly felt a little badly about what he had said. He hadn't meant to go so far. Although he did have his doubts because her methods were so different from his, he had only intended to give her a couple of pointers, and some suggestions. He had gone a lot further though, much further than he intended to, and clearly she was starting to take it to heart. He had to admit that if he thought about it, it had to seem a bit like a personal attack.

"Look, sorry, I didn't mean to be hurtful, I'm just trying to help." He told her.

Before Emily could answer, her Samuraizer bleeped. She looked to it, then back to him. He just nodded. She answered it, finding that Mia was on the other end.

"Hey Emily, you're nearly finished training right?" Mia asked her. "I was thinking...it's been ages since we've been shopping. Do you want to hit the mall afterwards?"

"The mall?" Emily asked her. She was indeed nearly finished, but after what Cody's dad had said to her, she wasn't really feeling too much like shopping. Cody's dad just sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Go. I'll explain." He told her. As she gathered her things and left, she couldn't help thinking about what he had said to her. Her students didn't respect her because she was too soft. She could remember all the way back to when she first arrived at the Shiba House, back when the others saw her for the first time, and realised that this girl, who was significantly younger than them was their Yellow Ranger. Although they were polite enough not to say it to her face, she could tell that they were disappointed. She had seen that look most of her life.

As Cody, Spike and Bulk came back from their sprints, they were all still laughing and joking. Cody looked around, a little confused.

"Where's Emily?" He asked.

"She was called away urgently." He told them. He then pointed to the training equipment. "Clear that up, and get ready for dinner. I'll be serving in about hour."

"Clear it up?" Bulk asked, looking to the equipment. Cody's dad just shrugged.

"It's not going to do it by itself." He answered. "You know where it all goes Cody, and I expect it to be spotless."

With that, he went back into the house, leaving them all looking around each other, slightly bemused. Cody just shrugged and started to gather stuff up.

"Come on guys." He told them. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

In the Netherworld, Serrator came aboard Master Xandred's Junk, finding Octoroo poring over some of his books, while Xandred was drinking some of his medicine.

"Nice job with your last Nighlock squid face." Octoroo taunted him. "Duplicator looked like he might actually inconvenience the Rangers for a little while."

"Oh, go blow your hot air to someone that wants to hear it Serrator." Octoroo grumbled. "You saw how he..."

"How he blew up? Why yes, I did." Serrator snorted. "Funniest thing I saw the whole day."

"Well, it's not like you've been doing much to be bragging about lately." Octoroo stated. "Sure, you might have somehow found a way to bring Dekker to our cause, but where is he exactly? He's vanished without a trace! Much like this supposed plan of yours. I haven't seen you doing anything to advance our cause since you killed that boy."

"Well, given your track record, you'll forgive me if I keep my cards close to my chest." He commented. "I have a feeling that it'll be less likely to fail if you aren't involved."

"Well, even though we are immortal, there's no reason for us to wait forever for your plan to finally show some progress." Octoroo sniped back.

"Well, I have something new in mind, just to keep things interesting for the Rangers until my plans start to...come together more." He told them, waving in a Nighlock. Xandred and Octoroo both watched him enter, wondering what manner of creature he was going to present them. It was a remarkably hideous creature, even by Nighlock standards. It had multiple, leering mouths covering the front of its head, the largest one of which had a huge, blue tongue hanging out of it.

"So, what is this thing meant to do? Make them lose their lunch?" Octoroo sneered.

"Ah, funny you should say that, it's quite the opposite to be exact." Serrator said in his usual condescending tone. "Grinataur has the ability to shoot a toxic dirt that greatly increases the appetite of anyone it hits."

"So you're going to make them hungry, big whoop." Octoroo replied, twirling a finger in the air. Serrator just laughed.

"Ah, you are so short sighted." Serrator scoffed in response. "This isn't just a hunger, but an insatiable, gnawing hunger, one that will continue to plague anyone that succumbs to it, no matter how much they eat. The human body can only withstand so much before its limits are reached. They will quite literally eat themselves to death!"

Serrator turned to his Nighlock and pointed to the window.

"Go Grinataur, go into the city and spread your misery. In my experience, causing some civilian casualties is always a sure fire way to draw the Rangers out." He told him. Grinataur disappeared, at which Serrator got up and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" Xandred asked him.

"I would have thought you'd want to watch your Nighlock's progress." Octoroo commented.

"I am confident he will do what I planned him to." Serrator told them. "In the meantime, I have something I must check on."

With that, he too disappeared.

In the city centre, Ji was sitting with Brenda in the waiting area of a clinic. It had taken his every reassurance that he wouldn't leave her until she was comfortable to let him do so that had managed to get her to come.

Her physical wounds were healing, but there was still something that she needed help with. Since coming home from the hospital, she had been unable to bring herself to leave her apartment without Ji. Even with him, he could tell she was far from comfortable. He couldn't blame her really, recent events had been a stark reminder that even the Rangers were not infallible, and couldn't save everyone.

Her right leg bounced, and she played with her fingers nervously as they waited. Ji tried to calm her by placing his hand on her thigh, and giving it a little squeeze. Brenda barely noticed it though, instead finding her eyes drawn to the clock. Time was ticking away, ticking towards her appointment, when she would have to trust a complete stranger with her crippling fear.

The intercom on the secretary's table buzzed, and the secretary just pressed a button, before looking to her.

"Dr. Jamieson will see you now." She told her. Brenda looked to Ji, who stood up with her, and headed for the door.

As they made their way into the treatment room, neither of them really knew what to expect, but once they were inside, they found themselves in a bright room, with cream painted walls on three sides, one wall of which was dominated by a book case filled with all manner of books, though few of them seemed to strike them as being any form of medical book, it was mostly paperback novels. There was a large, chrome framed desk with a glass top in front of them, with a chiropractic chair behind it, and a computer on it which was displaying a screensaver of dolphins swimming. Large shrubs were in the corners of the room, and there were a couple of large, plush, dark brown easy chairs in the room.

Brenda's attention was brought to one feature of the room in particular though, something that troubled her greatly. The remaining side of the wall was comprised of a floor-ceiling window, which looked out into the city. Ji could see her starting to panic as she eyed it fearfully, and could see her imagining that anyone could see inside, anyone could..."

"You don't need to worry, its one-way tinted glass." They heard a voice behind them say. Brenda almost jumped completely out of her skin, and even Ji had to admit to having something of a start. Turning towards the source of the voice, they saw a head poke around the side of one of the shrubs.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just watering the plants." She told them, coming around and setting down a jug on the desk. She was a small woman, Ji thought it was possible even Emily would be taller than her, and she was incredibly skinny. She was wearing a powder-blue suit jacket with a matching skirt, and a pale pink, ruffled blouse. She had very pale skin and flaming red hair. "I'm Siobhan Jamieson. Please, take a seat."

Brenda and Ji both sat down, but Brenda couldn't help looking at the window, wondering if they really were one-way.

"Oh, you're staying?" She asked, seeing that Ji was also sitting down. "I normally don't have others sit in on my sessions with adults Mr...?"

"Ji." He introduced himself. "Brenda asked that I come. If she is happy that I leave, I will do so, but other than that, I must insist that I stay."

"How do you feel about that?" She asked Brenda. Brenda just looked between them, before looking down.

"I'd like him to stay." She answered. Siobhan just smiled, making her way around her desk and bringing the chair back around. "I'd feel better that way. Anything you can say, you can say in front of him."

"Well, I wouldn't want to rush you into anything that makes you uncomfortable." She assured them. "Alright, I just wanted to begin by assuring you of a few things. This office is completely soundproof. The only people that will know what is said within these sessions will be the people in this room. I will record these sessions so I can analyse them later, but only I have access to those recordings. Other than that, the only people who will know what happens here will be anyone you see fit to take into your confidence. Is that alright with you?"

Brenda just nodded. Siobhan smiled.

"Also, I couldn't help noticing you keep looking at the window. That's only for my own benefit, but I assure you that no one outside can see in." She said soothingly. "Privacy is vital for the trust I need my patients to feel in these sessions. This is a safe place; you can believe me on that."

Brenda didn't look entirely convinced, but that was because she wasn't really sure what a safe place was any more. If she had been asked before the attack, she'd have considered her office parking lot a safe place, and that was where she had almost been killed. Siobhan looked between Ji and Brenda, and leaned back in her chair.

"Alright Brenda, I'd like you to begin by telling me in your own words exactly what brings you here." Siobhan invited her. "Please, feel free to take your time."


	7. Emily's Image Crisis

At the mall, Mia was standing by a rack of clothes, having the time of her life. She had always loved shopping before she came to the Shiba House, unfortunately her duties made taking regular trips impossible. She had seen the advert for the closing down sale almost a month ago, and being unable to resist the lure of 70 percent off, had earmarked a day to indulge her passion. She and Emily had agreed to save up their money to make the most of it.

She had a few outfits draped over her left arm, while she was looking out more, trying to imagine the fun she'd have when she got home, modelling it all for Kevin and seeing him trying, and no doubt failing, to convince her he wasn't bored out of his mind. Teasing him like that was almost as much fun as the shopping itself.

She paused as she saw something that caught her attention. It was a little yellow t-shirt, with a picture of a couple of cute little puppies staring out of it. She smiled, seeing it and picked it up off the rack.

"Hey Emily, I saw something that would look just..." She tailed off as she looked around, finding Emily nowhere in sight. "Emily?"

She started to look around, wondering where Emily could have gone. She was sure she was around here somewhere. She wouldn't have just wandered off without telling her. Eventually, she came to the changing rooms, and started to look around.

"Emily?" She called out. Just then, she turned and saw her standing, with her arms crossed.

Emily was wearing a pair of tan Caterpillar boots, camouflage combat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. The look was completed with a set of dog tags, and dark shades.

"What do you think?" Emily asked her. "This is a tough look right?"

"Uh...it's an interesting look, but...I don't think it's you." Mia commented, shaking her head. "What are you going for, GI Jane? Oh, but I found something that would look just adorable on you."

As she showed Emily the t-shirt, the Yellow Ranger just rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Damn it Mia, I'm 21, I'm not 8!" She snapped. "I don't want to dress like a kindergartener!"

"Oh...I'm sorry." Mia remarked, hanging the t-shirt up on a nearby rack, confident one of the sales clerks would put it back in the right place. Emily could see that Mia was stunned by the way she spoke to her and instantly regretted it. She went over to her and took her by the arm.

"Mia, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." Emily told her. "You were only trying to be nice. I guess it is the kind of thing I normally wear. I just wanted something that makes me look a little tougher."

"What's with the sudden change of style?" Mia asked. "Why do you want to look tough?"

Emily just looked to the mirror and took in her appearance. She posed for a moment, and threw a couple of punches. She smiled a little, feeling like she looked a lot tougher.

"Emily, what gives?" Mia asked her. "You never worried about looking tough before. Did something happen?"

Emily just sighed and turned to face her, taking off the shades.

"It was something Kieran said." Emily admitted. Mia just looked to her a little curiously.

"Cody's dad?" Mia asked for clarification. Emily just nodded.

"He said...he said I'm not tough enough on Cody, Spike and Bulk." She told her. "He said that I didn't look like I could be taken seriously."

"He said that to you?" Mia asked, a little taken aback. Emily just groaned.

"I was wearing a flower hair band and a Hello Kitty t-shirt to train them to use swords!" She reminded her. "I guess he has a point. I do look a little..."

"Emily, you are tough, in your own way." Mia interrupted her. "You don't have to prove anything to him. You might not be his idea of tough, but that's just who you are."

"But what if I don't want to be that way anymore?" Emily moaned. "I just want to be taken seriously. I'm just going to pay for my clothes and go home."

She went to the changing room to gather her purchases, while Mia watched her, feeling conflicted. She hated seeing Emily so down, and a part of her wanted to march straight to Kieran's place and give him hell for making Emily feel this way. She knew that at least she should give him a chance to tell his side of the story. She gathered up her own purchases and headed for the check-outs.

Over at the Shiba House, Jayden and Antonio were sitting, playing a game of chess. It was a little slow for Antonio's liking, but Jayden was trying to show him the finer points of the game. Mike and Kevin meanwhile were in the dojo practicing. Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded, rousing their attention.

Jayden ran to the table, opening up the map, which showed the location of the most recent Nighlock activity.

"It's near the mall." Jayden told them. "Kevin, call Mia and Emily. They're close by; they should get there before us."

As they ran from the house, morphing on the way, Kevin dialled his Samuraizer.

Mia and Emily arrived at the site of the battle, seeing Grinataur hard at work, attacking civilians. However, instead of running and panicking, the people were actually fighting each other.

"What's going on?" Mia asked. "Why aren't they running?"

Emily watched as a couple of them overturned a hot dog cart and started to ransack it, greedily scoffing plain buns, and handfuls of pickles and onions. Looking around, she saw another couple playing tug-of-war with a bag of chips, which ended inevitably when the bag burst, showering all the chips on the ground. This didn't stop them falling to their knees and scraping them up.

"They're eating!" Emily told her. "Look, they're too busy eating to notice the Nighlock!"

"Is that guy eating mustard straight out the bottle?" Mia asked, shaking her head in disgust. "Ew!"

"My dirt gives people an appetite for destruction!" Grinataur cackled in delight. "And soon, it'll be your turn!"

As Mia and Emily ploughed into the Moogers Grinataur had brought with him, the rest of the guys arrived to back them up. Mike saw Emily on the ground, holding off a Mooger that had managed to catch her off guard.

"Em. I've got you!" He called out as he cut it down. Emily though took it another way. Instead of seeing her fiancé defending her, she couldn't get Kieran's words out of her mind. People didn't take her seriously. Did that include Mike? Did he think she needed him to take care of her? She looked across to where Grinataur was watching the battle, preparing to pick his spot.

"Time to prove to everyone how tough I can be!" She yelled, running towards him. Grinataur saw her coming and pulled out a sword, blocking as she attacked. She managed to get in a couple of shots, before he finally managed to catch her blade. He slashed across her a couple of times, scoring telling hits across her ribs, before throwing her away from him.

"Hey, how about we play a different game Ranger?" He asked her, throwing a couple of bombs her way. "Dodge ball!"

Emily was only just getting back to her feet, and was not quick enough to avoid the blast. She spun through the air, before landing, unmorphed on the ground a little way off. Her ears were ringing after the blast. She was just getting her bearings back when she saw Grinataur preparing to attack again, this time with the tongue hanging from his main mouth.

"Emily!" Mia screamed as she saw this.

"We have to help her!" Kevin added. Emily could only watch as they ran to help her, only to get hit by the attack that was heading towards her. They both de-morphed, and slumped to the ground before her.

"Mia! Kevin!" She called out. Kevin stirred first.

"I'm so...hungry!" He commented.

"So, very...thirsty!" Mia added. Emily felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as she heard this. They had seen the others eating and eating, with seemingly no way to stop them. They had been hit with Grinataur's attack, they had been affected by his power, and all because she had acted too hastily, putting herself in harm's way to prove how tough she was.

"Antonio, Mike they need help!" Jayden called out as he took down some Moogers with his Fire Smasher. Emily saw the Gold and Green Rangers heading for Grinataur, and everything seemed to slow down. Just like before, she watched him take in a deep breath, and knew he was about to attack again.

"Look out!" She screamed. It was too late though. Two more dirt bombs flew out of his tongue, striking them. Mike and Antonio fell to the ground, de-morphing. Jayden took down the last of the Moogers, and seeing he was now alone in the fight, headed straight for Grinataur. The Mooger fired another dirt bomb, which seemed to hit with far less effect than the others. Jayden de-morphed, but remained on his feet. Grinataur then started to clutch at his sides.

"Aw man, using all that dirt drained me. I'm drying out." He announced, before looking to Emily. "Don't worry though cutie. Once I re-hydrate, I'll be back for you."

As he disappeared, Jayden and Emily started to check on the others.

"Do you have any food?" Antonio asked him. "Chocolate? Chips? Anything?"

"There's food at the house." Jayden told them.

"This is my fault." Emily grumbled. "If I hadn't rushed at him like that..."

"It's too late to worry about that now." Jayden told her. "We need to get the others back to the house...and quickly. I'm starting to get hungry too."

Emily just helped Jayden round up the others, all the time feeling a crushing sense of failure. She had been trying to prove something to herself, and her friends had paid the price for it.

At the mall, Spike ran into Cody, who was wandering around with a huge pile of bags, and a pink leather wallet. Spike just sniggered.

"Hey, it really goes with your eyes." He teased him.

"Ha, ha!" He responded sarcastically. "I found this stuff lying near the food court."

"Someone just dropped all this?" Spike asked. "Who was it?"

"Well, the good thing is that they also seem to have dropped a wallet." Cody told him with a little smile. He opened it, showing him the drivers' licence. "It seems one of our friends took a shopping trip and left with less than they arrived."

"Mia's last name is Watanabe?" Spike commented. "I think my dad met a Watanabe once. I wonder if..."

"Well, we can always ask her when we return this stuff." Cody suggested. "Seeing as your here, want to make yourself useful?"

Spike took half the bags and walked with Cody as they turned to head towards the Shiba House. Spike looked to Cody.

"So, what were you doing here anyway? Is it new comic book day?" Spike asked him. Cody shook his head.

"I was shopping for an outfit for the dance actually." He told him. "I didn't have anything to wear to a formal, and the store had a 70 percent off sale."

"You don't have to make too much effort." Spike told him. "It's not exactly black tie."

"Yeah, but I kind of wanted to look good for my date." He said with a little grin. Spike just looked to him.

"You have a date?" Spike asked him. Cody nodded.

"Yeah, I asked Vicky. She said yes!" He blurted out excitedly. Can you believe that? She said YES!"

"Yeah, that's great." Spike replied quietly, falling a little behind. He had only been to the Shiba House a couple of times, but he had a feeling that this was going to be a very long walk.

Meanwhile, just outside Faslane, Dayu, Toxica and Jindrax assembled; finally ready to make their move. Dayu reluctantly changed back into her Nighlock form, knowing that she would need its power. She took out her Furry Wort pet and set it in a little nook between some rocks.

"Don't leave, don't leave." It begged her. She just sighed, stroking its fur.

"I'm sorry Dekker, but this will be dangerous." She told her pet. "I will be back for you as soon as I have Urumasa."

She looked to her two friends and clutched her harmonium tightly.

"We'll be inside the Gap for a lot longer this time, I need to look around for one that will get us as far inside the complex as possible." She explained, remembering that the last time they travelled by Gap, it hadn't gone smoothly. They both nodded in understanding. Taking their hands, they disappeared.

If travelling by Gap was a strange sensation, then staying in them was an entirely different level. Everything was blurred, and it felt like their insides were being stretched to their limits, and also pressed into a tiny ball at the same time. Dayu used Gaps only sparingly because she feared giving Xandred the opportunity to find her. She knew the one place she was safe from him was in the Land of the Living. In the end though, she knew she had to risk it. She needed to find the right Gap. She drew them out, at which Toxica and Jindrax fell to the ground, disorientated. She on the other hand, was already on the attack. She had recognised Angela, and come through that gap, launching a surprise attack.

She took down the two guards, before firing off a blast as some of the research team made for the door. She heard the alarm and knew it wouldn't be long until they had company.

"Wow, that was...I think I'm gonna be sick." Jindrax groaned.

"Puke in your own time, secure the door." Dayu told him. "We won't be alone much longer!"

She advanced on Angela, who saw a pistol on a nearby console. Dayu just laughed.

"Don't even think about it." She remarked. She pointed through the glass to where Urumasa was sitting. "How do we get in?"

"You can't!" Angela shrieked. "That sword..."

"That sword belongs to someone I care about!" Dayu told her. "Toxica, care to find a way in?"

Toxica blasted the glass, showering the room in shards of glass that should have been able to withstand an explosion. Jindrax finished sealing the door, tearing off the release mechanism.

"Keep an eye on them." Dayu told them. She climbed through the window, entering the chamber. Urumasa started to glow as she approached.

"Yes, that's right, I'm here now." She said reassuringly, coming up to the stand. She reached out for the handle. "I'm here to take you back to...AAARRRGGGGHHHH!"

The room was filled with the stench of burning flesh as Urumasa refused to allow her to grip it, burning far more savagely than she could ever remember. She reached out for the scabbard, and unlike any other time she had seen, it burned her for touching the scabbard too. It started to glow far more brightly, before unleashing a pulse of energy that launched Dayu back through the window, into the wall in the observation chamber. She was badly burned, and clearly in agony.

"What happened?" Toxica asked. "I thought you could..."

"It knows!" Dayu screamed. "Urumasa knows I intend to destroy it! It won't let me near it!"

Just then, a circular saw blade came through the door, creating a cut in it. It came through again, creating another.

"Dayu, can you travel?" Jindrax asked her. "We're not going to be alone much longer!"

Travelling was the furthest thing from her mind; she was struggling to even think, much less move. As a third cut came, they could see the Green Lightspeed Ranger outside in his Rescue Armour. Carter leapt through, rolling to a crouch by Angela and aimed his blaster at them.

"Stop right there!" He called out.

"Sorry pal, but we really need to go." Jindrax replied, grabbing Dayu. Toxica did the same, and without another word, they vanished into the Gap under the desk they had arrived through. Carter helped Angela to her feet.

"They wanted the sword, but they couldn't get it." She told him as her husband de-morphed and climbed through the hole to check on her. "It repelled her."

"What did they want with it?" Carter asked her.

"One of them said they wanted to destroy it." She informed him.

"Maybe we should be thinking of doing the same." Joel suggested. "I mean, look at this place!"

"We don't understand the power in it. Trying to destroy it could cause untold devastation!" Carter reminded them. "Joel, open the door and let the research team in. We need to get that thing contained again."

"But..."

"We can't just destroy it!" He reiterated. "All we can do is try and make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

As Joel morphed again, bringing out his rescue armour to cut open the rest of the door, Carter looked to Urumasa, with one thought echoing in his mind. Maybe the sword had an owner. Maybe there was one that could wield it. If that was the case, seeing the power the sword used to repel others, he dreaded what would happen if it's rightful owner ever came to claim it. Was there anything they could do to stop him?


	8. Emily's Victory

Emily and Jayden managed to get the others home after the battle with little or no real incident. Although there were complaints of hunger, they were only too happy to sit comparatively quietly in the SUV as they came home. It was only as they got there that Emily realised the folly of the plan.

"Out of the way!" Kevin roared as he shoved her rather aggressively out of the SUV, landing face-first in the yard of the Shiba House. She huddled into a ball, avoiding the stampede as they all raced inside. Since there were now seven fully-grown adults in the Shiba House, there was indeed plenty of food there. Shopping for groceries day-to-day was nonsensical, and so there were extensive supplies in the larders, and the fridge freezer.

"OK, maybe this wasn't so smart right Jayden?" She asked. She got no answer. She looked around and asked weakly... "Jayden?"

It was then that she remembered. While his attack was not as severe as the others, Jayden had been hit by Grinataur's dirt too. He was not as bad as the others, something she was grateful for since he was driving, he had admitted to her that he was hungry too. Clearly even a weakened attack from Grinataur affected him badly.

She got inside, and found Jayden with a pack of chips in his hand already, but running around trying to separate the others from fighting each other for food. Mike and Mia were fighting over a lettuce of all things! She couldn't remember when Mike had ever shown a fondness for lettuce, but under this spell, clearly anything that could fit in his mouth was going to be acceptable.

"Jayden, we have to stop them!" Emily protested. She looked to Jayden, who was splitting his time between shovelling chips into his mouth and trying to stop Antonio slurping raw eggs. "JAYDEN!"

"What?" He mumbled through a mouthful of chips, spraying some shards on the floor. Emily rolled her eyes. Clearly, she was on her own.

She spent what felt like hours running around like a blue-arsed-fly, trying as much as possible to keep the Rangers from hurting each other, or themselves in their attempts to find something worth eating. She was also finding that the desperation to feed the spell inflicted on them seemed to very much redefine what they considered food.

"Mia, that pasta isn't even cooked!" Emily shrieked. "Jayden, you just had a whole pack of wieners, why would you...Mike that's FLOUR!"

She saw Mike and Kevin fighting over a pack of plain flour, and given the amount each of them had already spilled down themselves, clearly they had already eaten some. Growing up in a farming community, she knew the dangers flour could present. They could easily choke or suffocate if they consumed too much. Many people working in mills and bakeries had ended up with serious repertory disorders due to the small amount of flour in the air. As she tried to grab it off them, the bag split completely and caked her in the thick, white powder.

"I was going to eat that!" Mike whined, before noticing that Mia had found some animal crackers and running off to claim some. Emily just let out a hellish scream. She had heard her mom always tell her how hard it was to raise kids, now she was beginning to get the message, considering she now had five, all of whom were bigger and stronger than her. How would she be able to deal with this, and a Nighlock all by herself?

Just then, the doorbell rang. As reluctant as she was to answer it, she went to the door, dusting herself off as much as she could. She answered the door, finding Spike and Cody on the doorstep.

"Emily...is Mia here?" Spike asked her, showing her a wallet. "We found this stuff at the mall, we figured it was yours."

"Yeah...it is ours." Emily stammered, accepting the wallet as they came in with the bags. She tried to act like nothing was happening as there was a huge crash from another room. "Thanks."

"It sounds like there's something wrong." Cody remarked. "Can we help?"

"Uh...it's kind of..." Emily suddenly got an idea. She was right about one thing, she couldn't keep her friends safe AND defeat Grinataur single-handed, she needed help from somewhere. "This is a training exercise. You already passed the first part!"

"Uh...we did?" Spike asked. Both he and Cody looked doubtful. Cody moreso, since he actually knew who they were.

"Yeah, you found this stuff and returned it to its rightful owner." Emily stated, showing them in. "Honesty is a huge part of being a Samurai. Now, I have another test for you. It's kind of a game really."

"What kind of game?" Cody asked her, raising an eyebrow. Emily just looked to him.

"The others are running around the house, acting like they're going to eat anything in sight, kind of like the people that were hit by that monster in town." She told them, confident that in the age of I-phones, they would already have heard of the previous battle. "Your job is to keep them safe and keep them away from anything harmful. Go!"

Spike just let out a spluttering laugh as he heard this.

"Are you serious?" He asked her. "Em...you really had me going there for..."

Emily clenched her fists tightly and tensed up. Kieran's words were fresh in her mind. They didn't take her seriously; they didn't respect her, that was why Spike chose to question her word.

"Yes, I AM serious!" She blurted out in a voice so loud, both the younger boys staggered into the wall. They couldn't remember seeing Emily this way. "I am your sensei. Both of you want me to teach you what it means to be Samurai, are you questioning my experience?"

Both of them nodded nervously. Cody, knowing who she was, still thought of her as kind of a soft touch, but right now, he was terrified of her. She looked like she was more than ready to tear into them.

"Um..."

"This is part of your training. Do it right, and I might go easy on you next time!" Emily warned them. "Now, find them and do as I ask!"

As they both scurried off, Emily couldn't help getting a satisfied smirk on her face. She could be tough when she needed to be, just like Mia had tried to tell her. As she heard her Samuraizer bleep, she went to the Living Room, checking the map, before running off to do battle once more.

Meanwhile, in an area not far from the Naval Base, Dayu, Toxica and Jindrax spilled onto the ground. Jindrax was the first to recover, and grabbed Dayu, holding her and turning her onto him in such a way it helped her breathing.

"Toxica, she's hurt bad!" He reminded her. "Do something!"

"Like what?" She asked. "My healing knowledge is based on Orgs. I don't know if it'll work on Nighlock."

"Well, it can't make her any worse can it?" Jindrax replied. "Go!"

Toxica ran off to look for herbs to help her heal her as Jindrax held her.

"Just hang on, we'll do what we..."

"Dayu, Dayu, Dayu!" He heard a high-pitched voice screaming desperately. He looked around, seeing the furry wort she had taken as a pet screaming for her. Clearly it knew she was in danger. He beckoned it out, at which it rolled towards him from its hiding place, before holding it where Dayu could see it.

"Dekker wants you." He told her. She gave a weak smile as he lowered it to her, allowing her to take Dekker in her hands. He had no idea how badly she was hurt, but given her lack of function, he wasn't confident she would live through the night. "Dayu..."

"Urumasa will not let us take it." Dayu groaned weakly. "It knows we intend to destroy it."

Toxica came back with some herbs, falling to her knees by their side. She started to work to strip the leaves from the plants.

"Hold on." Toxica told her. "We'll do what we can."

As she started to work, humming some enchantments, Toxica kept looking to Dayu. Only her Nighlock state had stopped her wounds being instantly fatal. Even now, she had no idea if she could be saved. Dayu clutched little Dekker to her.

"Urumasa knows we intend to destroy it." She told them. "Now, I cannot handle it."

"Don't talk." Jindrax beckoned her. "Please, keep your strength..."

"Without Dekker, my Dekker, there is no point going on." She told them.

"But...you can't even touch Urumasa." Jindrax reminded her as Toxica continued to work on her healing ointment. "How...?"

"We need that sword somewhere we can get access to it." Dayu wheezed as she struggled to breathe. "I guess we need to give it what it wants."

"You mean..." Jindrax recoiled in shock. "Dayu, that's insane! You can't possibly mean..."

"If it will only trust one, then let's give it what it wants." She replied, trying and failing to shift away from him. "I will understand if you can't stand with me. There is only one way, I will tell Dekker where it is."

"But he said he'd destroy you!" Toxica reminded her as she was pounding out a paste with a pestle and mortar.

"If he can be released it will be worth it." She replied. "You can help me or not, it's your choice."

"Alright, I don't know how this will work on Nighlock physiology, but it helped a few Orgs in my time." Toxica sighed, looking to Jindrax. "You may want to think of something pleasant."

As she rubbed the ointment into her wounds, Dayu let out a frightful scream that echoed for miles around.

As Grinataur paced impatiently in a quarry, Emily arrived, drawing her Spin Sword. She tried to recall every one of the movies Mike had made her watch to remember all the tough girls she had seen, trying to think of intimidating gestures. All she could think of was tapping the tip of her blade on a few rocks.

"You hurt my friends." She told him. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Oh yeah, the cute little bunny is going to really make me hurt!" Grinataur taunted her with a faked shudder. "Ooh...I'm SO scared!"

"You should be!" Emily screamed, running at him, slashing with the passion of the possessed. Grinataur was staggered and took many hard shots before he finally caught her by the throat. He got up, seeing her struggling at his grip and laughed.

"Oh, the pretty little Yellow Ranger's caught in my grasp!" He teased her. "Let's play...batter up!"

He threw her into the air, but as he took his swing, expecting her to come down to be dashed into the cliffs, he was surprised. He barely noticed a flash of light. He felt his blade heavier than normal, and looked along it, seeing Emily crouched on it, wearing the white overcoat indicating her power-up into Super Samurai Mode.

"This is for poisoning my friends!" She screamed, beginning to spin rapidly, before burring towards him along his own sword. Grinataur didn't even have time to scream.

Back in the Shiba House, Mike felt a couple of small fists pounding on his chest, and could see a box of chocolate chip cookies in his hand. He had no idea how he had gotten back to the Shiba House, the last thing he could remember was fighting a Nighlock in the mall. He saw Cody standing before him.

"Cody?" He asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Spike!" Kevin wheezed as he limped in, grabbing his crotch. "What the hell?"

"Emily told us to stop you!" He responded. "It was all I could think of..."

As their Samuraizers bleeped, they all looked to the map, and then ran out to deal with the problem. Spike just looked to Cody and threw up his hands.

"You have some pretty screwed up friends!" He shrieked.

"You have no idea." Cody groaned as he took Spike by the hand. "Come on, we can let them clean up this mess."

Emily was already in the Gigazord, fighting for all she was worth. She knew how draining a Megazord battle was, but without the others with her, she had no choice but to risk it. So far, she had been faring well, not landing any significant damage on Grinataur, but then not being taken out either. Of course, every blow took its toll. She was already struggling to stay on her feet, using every ounce of symbol power she had to power the Zord. Eventually, the others arrived, appearing next to her.

"Emily, you did great!" Kevin complimented her.

"Yeah, you rock!" Antonio concurred.

"We're all here for power now." Jayden commented. "You can punch out..."

"No, I want this guy!" She told them. "Jayden, I have an idea, give me the Bull Disk!"

"But..."

"Do it!" Mia agreed. Jayden took it out, handing it to Emily. The Yellow Ranger took it, and jammed it into her belt buckle, morphing into Shogun Mode.

Without a word, she disappeared from the cockpit. Energised by the power of Shogun Mode, she had a third wind, and had gone into the Ape Zord, which leapt from its position on the Gigazord's left side, onto Grinataur's face, clawing at its eyes and distracting it.

"Do it now!" Emily called through her communicator. Mike just smiled.

"Way to go Emily." He said in an impressed tone. The Gigazord launched into the air, powering up its katana strike, before cleaving Grinataur in two just as the Ape Zord leapt off its face. The Rangers all watched him fall and explode in defeat.

"Samurai Rangers, Victory is ours." Jayden declared. "Good job Emily."

After the battle, Emily had gone pretty much straight to bed. She was so wiped, that by the time all was said and done, she had only just made morning training the next morning.

As evening came, and Cody's dad was waiting in the yard for Spike, Bulk and Cody to come home, he saw Emily arriving, this time alone. He was also surprised to see that this time, she had a much larger bag with her, and there was even a very different appearance about her. She wasn't all bouncy and childish, and her appearance...

She came to him, dumping her bags on the ground. Her hair was straight, and held back in a pony tail, held with a simple tie. She was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, and a pair of simple jogging pants. He looked to her regretfully.

"Emily..."

"I'm still taking these training sessions." She put down flatly.

"It's not that." Kieran replied. "Look, I know I went off the deep end, you train differently than I do..."

"You were trying to help." Emily stated.

"That doesn't mean I needed to be an asshole about it." He interrupted her. He held up a hand. "I know I was."

"Look, you care about Cody, I get it. You want to know he'll be trained properly." Emily told him. "I'm not a ball buster like you. That won't ever change. I believe more good can come from propping people up for their successes than breaking them down for their failures."

She approached him and gestured to her clothes.

"I did accept part of what you said though. I changed up the image a little." She told him. "I may still have a predilection to cute clothing in my time, but come training time, I can make sure people know it's time to get down to business."

"Emily...I felt really shitty about what I said to you. I never meant to question who you are." Kieran told her. "If you think I'm a ball buster, you should have met my dad. I'd run three miles, done three hundred push ups and chopped a whole tree before breakfast!"

"Wow!" Emily gasped.

"I guess, my vision of things was coloured by that." He told her. "I know your methods are different..."

"I will be tougher on them." Emily assured him. "But I'll leave the ball busting to you. I know they need to learn, but I think a little fun is a good thing."

"I only wanted you to find what works for you." Kieran said with a smile. "Sorry if I hurt you."

"Oh, and one more thing...I still have the Hello Kitty stuff." Emily told him as she saw Spike, Bulk and Cody arriving. "I'll wear it in my own time. If you don't like that, you can kiss my ass."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He remarked as Emily went off to take her students in the first of her new training sessions. He breathed a little sigh and went to his house to go back to his woodwork with more than just guilt on his mind. He knew he had hurt Emily, and he had regretted it, but he had another thing too. He had now received a call from Mia, one that was rather less than friendly. She had left him under no false impressions that he had overstepped his place, not that she was pulling rank on him. She had warned him in no uncertain terms what would happen if her 'sister' came to her that upset again.

"You are tough." He conceded. "I guess the toughest thing you can do is be threatening in a Hello Kitty T-shirt."


	9. Another Short Interlude

**A/N:** I know I've been quiet across the last couple of days, and this is a pretty short interlude. I will no doubt have more ready in the near future. In the meantime, hope you enjoy it.

A couple of days later, Spike, Cody and Bulk were training under Emily, only now they were being put through their paces. After her initial teething problems, she was beginning to find her stride, managing to establish a balance between working them hard, and also making sure they had a little fun to stop the training seem like a chore.

Bulk was standing, unarmed, staring down Cody. Emily was watching this with interest.

"Alright remember what I taught you." Emily told him. "Cody, full speed this time."

Cody lunged towards him, swinging a shinai. Bulk moved aside, catching his wrist and guiding the 'blade' past him, and down out to the side. Adjusting his position, he took a solid grip on the handle, and started to twist it. Cody was soon left unable to hold the shinai, and found it ripped out of his hand. Bulk brought it up, before bringing it down, stopping just short of Cody's head. Emily just clapped, clearly impressed by Bulk's progress.

"That was perfect!" She complimented him. "Disarming an opponent is a difficult, but highly useful skill. You won't always have the luxury of being armed when an opponent attacks."

She looked around her students and was happy with their work for the day. They had worked hard, and she was happy to let them relax.

"Alright, clear away the equipment. We're done for the day." She told them. "Good work guys."

As they started to clear their stuff away, Emily pulled out her Samuraizer, and dialled, finding to her disappointment that once again, Serena wasn't answering her phone. She hadn't spoken to her sister since she had left for the farm. She had hoped that after all this time; perhaps Serena would finally be ready to take her calls. Kieran saw the look of disappointment on her face, and came over.

"I'm guessing that was Serena?" He asked her.

"She still isn't answering." Emily told him. "The last time I talked to mom, she said that she's spending all her days in the barn training."

"I'm sure she'll talk when she's ready." Kieran told her. Emily just shook her head.

"I've never seen her like this. She's never shut herself off from us before." Emily told him. "I'm just really worried about what she's doing to herself."

"I guess it is pretty worrying." Kieran admitted. "Do you really think she would do something rash?"

"Stephen was the love of her life." Emily told him. "If there was anything that could get her to do something stupid, that would be it."

She gathered up her bags and looked to him with a concerned expression.

"I just hope she hasn't already decided to go after Serrator." She told him. "Once she's made up her mind, Serena isn't known for changing her mind."

Toxica and Jindrax brought an injured Dayu into a cave a little way from the city. After their disastrous attempt to retrieve Urumasa, they had been left with a desperate situation. Urumasa clearly sensed what they had planned for it. It had repelled her violently, unleashing a tremendous amount of power to protect itself. Were it not for her Nighlock form, she almost certainly would not have survived.

They laid her down gently, trying not to aggravate her already considerable injuries. Toxica had done all she could to help heal her, though being unfamiliar with Nighlock physiology, there was only so much she could do. All she could really do was try and keep her comfortable, try to deal with her pain, while her own regenerative abilities dealt with the wounds.

"Dayu, are you sure about this?" Jindrax asked her. "I mean, Dekker doesn't have his memories anymore. As far as you know, he'll destroy you if he sees you."

"I can only hope that he listens long enough to hear what I have to say." Dayu told them. "Once he knows where Urumasa is, there's nothing he won't do to get it back."

"But once he has it back...won't that make him more powerful?" Jindrax asked her.

"We don't have a choice." Dayu reminded them. "We can't destroy Urumasa if we can't get to it."

"But that's just it, how do you intend to destroy it?" Toxica asked her. "I don't know if we even can."

"There's clearly something that can." Dayu told them, forcing a little smile. "Do you know what Urumasa's attack taught me?"

She looked to them as she pulled herself up painfully.

"It was frightened." She told them. "If there was nothing that could destroy it, would it have tried so hard to defend itself?"

"So, have you got any ideas what could do it?" Jindrax asked her.

"I have one idea." She told him. "One that I should have thought of much sooner."

Meanwhile, over in the barn of their family farm, Serena was working, as usual, training hard for the day she would return to the city to take her revenge on Serrator. Right now, she was hanging upside down from the upper level, pulling sit-ups. She had worked so hard for so long, that every inch of her ached, and she was feeling light-headed. Although she knew that she was in quite possibly the best shape she had ever been, she couldn't help feeling like it would never be enough.

As she dangled down, breathing heavily, she noticed something a little way off. The barn didn't have much in it, some training equipment and bales of hay, but there was something else there. She unhooked her legs from the beam, flipping backwards onto her feet, and made her way over. She reached in, pulling some hay out of the bale, eventually finding it. It was an octagonal power disk. She didn't know where it had come from, but then finding a piece of plastic in the bale along with it, she suddenly remembered.

About a week after she had arrived at the farm, her mother had found Stephen's Master System among her possessions. Everything he had owned had been taken and disposed of, in order to leave no evidence to get people asking questions about his disappearance. Her mother had thrown it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. Serena had cleared it up, but obviously hadn't gotten all of it. She didn't know why, but it seemed that Stephen had kept this with the Master System.

It was a power disk, but it was unlike any she had seen before. It was a lot smaller, and octagonal. She looked to her sword, Kasamune, resting on a stand a little way off, and headed over. Sliding the power disk onto the hilt, she smiled. It was a perfect fit. She didn't know what it was, or what it did, but it seemed that Stephen had left her with one last gift. Without Ranger powers, she was sure she was going to need any edge she could possibly get, and now she was sure that the man she loved had given it to her.


	10. Extreme Solution

Ji was sitting in the corner of Siobhan's office, while she worked with Brenda during another session. She had come to accept Ji in her sessions, knowing that Brenda was still terrified to go out on her own, but over the last couple of sessions, she had asked him respectfully to sit in the corner, and not to speak or interrupt their sessions. Siobhan was listening intently to Brenda as she spoke.

"My office called." She told her. "They're really understanding about the whole thing. They said that they never expected me to be back quickly."

"Is that what you believe?" Siobhan asked her. Brenda just shrugged.

"I'd like to think so." She answered. "I didn't really know too many of them too well. In some ways, I almost felt like they were calling to find out when I'd be back though. Without me there, they're down a health inspector. Everyone will have more work to do. I just...can't face it."

"You said your physical recovery is going well." Siobhan reminded her.

"I'm starting to get more used to the limitations." She admitted. "The physical therapy's getting easier. But..."

"But?" Siobhan asked as Brenda tailed off. Ji sat up; a little interested to hear this. He knew there was still something holding her back. Was she finally about to say something. "Just...take your time."

"It's...I just...I can't ever stop thinking about what happened." Brenda admitted. "When I shower, when I get dressed in the morning...I see it."

"You're referring to your scarring?" Siobhan asked for clarification. Brenda just nodded. It was only then that Ji realised something. Although he wasn't really expecting anything too much from her, and he had loved how close they had been lately, it now occurred to him that he had never seen her when she wasn't fully clothed. She was always careful to be wearing at least a shirt that covered her whole torso around him. One night when they had been cuddling on the couch, she had pulled her shirt down rather aggressively as he held her. Was she really so self-conscious about it?

"Any time I'm getting dressed, when I clean up in the morning, I can see it, and it all comes back to me." She told her. Siobhan considered what she had said.

"Sometimes the physical reminders of violent incidents can maintain that trauma, making it harder to recover." Siobhan told her. "Sometimes victims of such incidents consider cosmetic surgery."

"Cosmetic surgery?" Brenda asked her. Siobhan just nodded.

"I understand there are clinics that can do incredible work." She told her. "How would you feel about that? Do you think not having to see the scars every day might help?"

"I...I don't know." Brenda muttered.

"Well, it's just something you might want to think about." Siobhan told her. "I'll have my receptionist look into options for you. You can think it over for yourself between sessions...speaking of which, I'm afraid we're pretty much out of time for today."

"Already?" Brenda asked, looking to the clock. She could hardly believe it. The sessions could really drag in, and at other times, they seemed to end almost as quickly as they began. As Brenda started to get her stuff together, Siobhan looked to Ji. "Um...Brenda, why don't you go and talk to the receptionist about what we talked about? See if we can come up with some material for you to read? Ji, would you mind staying for a little while? I want to talk with you."

Ji could see Brenda was reluctant, but she did go out of the room eventually. She was confident enough that the therapists' office was safe that she didn't need Ji to be in the same room as her. Ji hung back, waiting to hear what Siobhan had to say.

"So, how do you feel about the progress being made?" She asked him.

"I am not your patient." Ji reminded her. "As long as Brenda..."

"You care about her deeply, I understand that." Siobhan interrupted him. "But you also need to be mindful of your own feelings. A trauma like this affects the loved ones of a victim too."

"I am concerned for her." Ji admitted. "This thing about the scarring...I hadn't realised that it bothered her so much."

"How have things been between you?" Siobhan asked him. "Romantically I mean?"

"I didn't want to push things." Ji told her. "She is still recovering; I think...we have been close, but..."

"I understand. There is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you." She said in a tone that told Ji he probably wasn't going to like what she had to say. "I also think that next time; I'd like to speak to Brenda on her own."

"On her own?" Ji asked her. "But...she wants..."

"I think she's become overly dependent on having you around." She told him sadly. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"But she's so afraid." Ji told her.

"I know, and it's natural to want to be there with her." Siobhan stated with a little smile. "However, unless you plan on going to her office with her every day, you know that she has to be able to operate on her own."

"I just don't know..."

"You want what's best for her. That's very commendable." Siobhan interrupted him. "But you know what I'm saying. I think it's time we wean her off this dependence on having you around."

"I will think about it." Ji promised her. Siobhan just nodded.

"That's all I can ask of you." She answered. "Now, I believe Brenda is waiting for you."

With that, Ji left the office, trying to get around what she had told him. A part of him knew that she was right. As much as he wanted to be there for her, as much as he hated seeing her afraid, Brenda needed to be able to deal with things on her own.

Over at Central High School, Spike was sitting with Mal and Jimmy, while a little way off, Vicky was talking to Cody. Although he went to Western, during lunch period he had managed to sneak in to see her. Jimmy saw Spike looking decidedly distracted and just nudged him.

"Are you going to eat that?" He asked, pointing to his pudding cup. Spike hadn't even touched his packed lunch really. He had been sitting there holding the baguette his Uncle had made him, making no effort to eat it. Spike just handed it over.

"Say Spike, what's your problem?" Mal asked him. "You've barely said a word."

"I can't believe Vicky's going to the dance with Cody." He stated. "Jimmy, doesn't that bother you?"

"Hey, Cody's a pretty cool kid." Jimmy replied with a shrug. "I guess its a little weird thinking of her dating, but at least it's someone I know is alright."

"Yeah, what difference does it make?" Mal asked him. Spike didn't answer though. He just took a bite from his baguette as he watched Vicky laughing at something Cody had said.

"How much is there to discuss anyway?" Spike asked them. "I mean, it's a dance right? Just throw on a shirt and turn up right? What's so hard about that?"

"It is a pretty big deal." Mal reminded him with a shrug. "I mean, it's not like any of us have dates."

"So Mal, are you still giving the comic book store a miss after school?" Cody asked him. Mal just nodded.

"Yeah, I have stuff to do." He told them.

"Say, where do you go all the time?" Spike asked him. "You've not been available after school for like the last week."

"I have stuff to do alright?" He asked, before craning his neck to call over. "Hey Vicky! You better hurry if you want lunch!"

He knew that was as much a warning to Cody as it was to her. He still needed time to run back over to Western. He just picked up his stuff and smiled at Vicky, before skilfully faulting the fence and running off. Vicky came bounding over, re-joining her friends.

"So, what were you discussing today?" Spike asked.

"We were just deciding what to do before the dance." She told them. "We figured just because we're going together, there's no reason to not go as a group. We were thinking about meeting at the food court for something to eat."

"That sounds good." Jimmy answered. "You know, it might be a couple of weeks yet, but I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Same here." Mal commented. Just then, a freshman kid came over and tapped him on the shoulder, before handing him a note. Mal opened it, and smiled, before handing it back to the kid.

"Just say that's fine." He told him. Spike, Jimmy and Vicky all just looked at him. He just shrugged.

"What? It's not like I do everything with you guys." He commented. "Anyway, I just need to check on something. I'll see you guys in class."

With that, he left them. Vicky shook her head.

"Where do you suppose he's been going all week?" She asked them.

"Beats me." Jimmy replied. "Anyway, I've got some books to return to the library before class."

With that, they all packed up their stuff and headed for the library. Spike noticed the slight skip in Vicky's step and couldn't help feeling his stomach knotting up. He remembered his talk with Mia, and he had since figured out what the problem was. Unfortunately it was something he couldn't do anything about. He liked Vicky. He liked, liked her. Unfortunately, by the time he realised that, and figured out why the thought of Cody asking her out bothered him, he was too late. He had already made his move. Now, all Spike could do was try to deal with it, something that was proving a lot harder than he had anticipated.

In the cave, Dayu was struggling to try to get to her feet when Jindrax and Toxica returned with some food they had foraged. Toxica could see her struggling, and came to her, helping her back down.

"Dayu, you're in no condition to go anywhere." Toxica told her.

"We have to find Dekker." She told them. "We have to..."

"We can't go looking for him with you in this state." Jindrax interrupted her. "What do you think you're going to do like this?"

"You are still kind of crispy." Toxica commented. Dayu hated to wait any longer, but right now, she had to concede that she wasn't in any fit state to go looking for Dekker. She didn't know if he'd remember enough to remember Jindrax, and so he would only be in danger if he sought him out. As far as she was aware, he had never met Toxica, so that wouldn't be any of any use either.

"Alright, so I guess I'm not going after Dekker right now." She conceded as her injuries finally overtook her, and she was forced back down. "So, do you have any more of those ointments?"

"I guess I can whip something up." Toxica sighed. "In the meantime, maybe it would be worth figuring out what you want to do once Dekker has that sword back."

Dayu just lay back, allowing them to treat her, thinking about what they had said. Sooner or later, it was an issue she would have to address. Getting to Urumasa was one thing, but destroying it would be another matter altogether, something she now knew through painful experience. As Toxica started her work, Dayu succumbed to the pain and passed out.

"So how bad is it really?" Jindrax asked her. Toxica shook her head.

"If she wasn't a Nighlock, she'd never have lived this long." She told him. "All we can do is hope she's strong enough to hold on while she heals."

"Well, she's pursued Dekker for all these years." Jindrax commented. "If anyone's shown the kind of strength it would take, it's her."

Back at the farm, Serena's father was just coming back after a long day as her mother was finishing preparing the dinner. As he hung up his jacket, he sniffed the air and smiled.

"Now, THAT smells amazing!" He commented, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "You know what I like."

"I think we've been married long enough that I should." She said with a little smile. As she did, she heard the door opening, and Serena came in. She didn't stop though, heading through to her room.

"Serena?" Her mother asked. "Serena?"

As she went through to her room, she saw Serena starting to pack a bag. She came to her daughter's side and grabbed her arm, turning her towards her.

"Serena, what do you think you're doing?" Her mother asked her.

"I'm going back." Serena told her. "I'm going back, and I'm going to take Serrator's head."

"Serena, I know that's what you want to do, but you know that isn't our way!" She told her.

"Well maybe it should be!" Serena snapped. "Serrator killed the only man I ever loved, and instead of taking care of him, we've just been letting him swan around the place like..."

"Serena! You already almost cost dozens of lives looking for vengeance." Her mother reminded her. "You do remember Cody right? Or the fact you allowed him to set the Bull Zord loose on the city?"

"Well, last time I didn't have this!" She replied, pulling a power disk out of her pocket. She showed it to her mother.

"Where did you get that?" She gasped. Serena looked to her.

"Stephen made it; it was with his Master System." Serena informed her. "It's for Kasamune. He must have been working on it to give me a power boost! With this...!"

"Serena, you have no idea if it'll even work!" Her mother shrieked. "You've never even tried it!"

"Every day, the Nighlock grow stronger mom!" Serena told her. "I can't wait..."

"Serena, until you know what will happen, there's no way you can risk it." She told her. "Serena, I know you're hurting, but there are still people that care what happens to you."

"I just want..."

"Serena, please..." Her mother's words tailed off and she breathed a sigh. "If I can't stop you, then...at very least, let me help you."

"Mom?" Serena asked her.

"I've tried again and again to get you out of that barn, and I've failed every time." She told her. "Maybe if I help you train, I can at least stop you running off before you're ready."

She took the disk from her daughter.

"If you're really intent on using this, then at least wait until you know you can use it." Her mother told her. Serena finally relented and nodded her head.

"Now, go to the kitchen." She told her. "I've made rabbit stew. Surely a hot meal sounds pretty appealing."

"It does." Serena told her. With that, she guided her daughter into the kitchen. As soon as she was behind her though, she grabbed her daughter tightly in a sleeper hold. Serena struggled against her, but her mother held her. She eventually passed out. Serena's father came into the bedroom, finding his wife over the unconscious form of her daughter.

"What the hell?" He asked. "What did you do?"

"Your daughter had this!" She told him, showing him the power disk. "She was planning to go back and use it on Serrator."

"So you knocked her out?" He screamed as his wife tried to pick up their daughter.

"I did what I had to!" She answered him abruptly. "Now how about a little help here?"

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"Just...help me will you?"

A little while later, Serena woke up back in the barn. Her head was still spinning after the attack. It took a moment for her to remember that it was her mother that had done it to her. Looking around, she saw that there was a blanket and a pillow, but nothing else of note. Even Kasmune was gone.

As she started to shift, she noticed something odd. Pulling the blanket off her, she saw that a length of chain had been wrapped around her left ankle, and padlocked in place. Picking up the chain, she followed it to one of the supports, finding the other end wrapped around it, securing her in place. She grabbed the chain and started pulling on it, but it wouldn't budge. She groaned as she finally gave up. The barn door opened, and her mother came in, carrying a bowl and a spoon.

"I brought your dinner." Her mother told her. Serena just looked at her, completely livid.

"What the hell?" Serena roared.

"Your dinner." Her mother reiterated. Serena just rolled her eyes, before grabbing the chain, shaking it.

"Don't you think there's something else we need to talk about?" Serena screamed at her. "You chained me up?"

"I already told you Serena, there are still people that love you and who care about what happens to you." She reiterated. "I couldn't watch you go after Serrator..."

"You've got no right!" Serena yelled.

"You didn't leave me any choice!" Her mother wailed as her tears began. "I can't watch you throw your life away!"

"Mom...!"

"I'm sorry it came to this. I've tried Serena, I really have." She told her. "But if this is the only way I can get you to stay until we can get you to think about this and talk to us, then...I'm sorry!"

"I don't want to talk!" Serena screamed at her. "Now take this fucking chain off me!"

"I'm sorry Serena." She sobbed as she left. Serena watched her go, locking the door as she went. She screamed, throwing the bowl of stew at the door, before renewing her struggle against the chain. She had no idea how long she tried, before she finally gave up and resigned herself to the fact she was going nowhere. Eventually, she just pulled the blanket around herself and lay down; still fuming over the fact her own mother had imprisoned her in the barn. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.


	11. Competitive Nature

The Rangers were all out in the training yard, getting some practice in after breakfast. Mia and Emily were in the corner, working on some grappling techniques, while Jayden and Antonio were sparring. Kevin was working on a sword kite while Mike went to the side, snatching an apple out of a bowl of fruit, and took a big bite. Kevin just shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe he's still hungry." Kevin said quietly, not knowing that he wasn't speaking as quietly as he had believed. Mike could actually hear him, and just ignored him. "We just had breakfast, and I'm still working off the stuff that last Nighlock made us eat."

"Kiev, it's an apple." Mike called over his shoulder. "It's healthy."

Kevin realised Mike had heard him. He knew that the Green Ranger hated it when he constantly questioned everything he did, and regretted the fact that he had heard, but then he was unrepentant on this. He just straightened up.

"You know, if you keep eating, eventually you won't fit into your suit." Kevin teased him. "Even Spandex only stretches so far."

Mike was about to answer, but looking to the apple in his hand, he got an idea and a little smirk came to his face.

"Tell you what, I bet you I can beat you with one hand." Mike told him, stepping onto the mat, tossing and catching the apple as he went. "If you win, I'll do all your chores for a week."

Kevin smiled as he heard this. He couldn't remember the last time Mike was able to beat him with a sword. Now he was trying to do it with only one hand? He just waved Mike forward.

"If I win though," Mike continued, "you have to wear that Prince Charming costume Mia got you for Halloween all day tomorrow."

"You're on!" Kevin told him, taking up a guard. The other Rangers stopped what they were doing to watch. Kevin and Mike were always the two most competitive of the Rangers. Even though they were a lot closer and friendlier than they had been at first, there was still a lot of competition between them.

They watched as Kevin led off, having his first couple of strikes parried by Mike. He looked decidedly less than amused though as Mike just took a bite from his apple, almost like he wasn't trying. Kevin drove the sword away, taking advantage of the fact he had the strength advantage of having both hands on his sword to throw Mike off-balance, before smashing his Spin-Sword out of his hand. He was lifting his own Spin Sword up to claim the point and the match, when Mike did something unexpected, and jammed the apple onto the point of the Sword.

Kevin just lifted up the Sword, looking at the apple in disbelief. Emily had to stifle a little snigger at the move, and Kevin's reaction to it. Then, quick as a flash, Mike flicked his Sword back up into his hand, and brought it to Kevin's throat, and tapped him under the chin.

"That's the point, and you got schooled." Mike taunted him. "Not to mention you lost the bet."

He smiled as he stepped off the mat, to a chorus of laughs from the other Rangers. Kevin seemed decidedly less than amused though. He hated losing, he especially hated losing to Mike, and he most DEFINITELY hated losing when he felt like he had been tricked or defeated by nefarious means.

"That doesn't count!" He protested.

"It counts Prince Charming." Mia giggled. Kevin just glared at Mike, but he just shrugged as he took another apple to replace the one he had used on Kevin's sword.

"Hey, I can't compete with your technique, one or two handed." Mike conceded. "I had no choice but to outwit you."

Kevin was about to protest again, but he paused as he caught onto what Mike had said.

"Was that a compliment?" He asked him. Mike just laughed.

"Me compliment you?" He asked. "As if!"

"You know, if you guys could co-operate as well as you compete, you'd be twice as strong." Jayden told them, finally able to stop laughing long enough to speak.

"Hey, if they could co-operate as well as they compete, they'd be able to beat Master Xandred all by themselves." Emily chipped in.

"Why can't we all just get along?" Mia joked, putting her arm around Emily. Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. The Rangers all started to run inside, but Kevin paused for a second.

"Mike!" He called out. As Mike stopped and turned to see him, Kevin put the point of his Spin Sword to the ground and drove it down, slicing straight through the apple. "That's not much of a defence. If that was real..."

"Hey, you're right." Mike told him. "Of course, you thought of that WAY too late!"

With that, they sprinted into the house to find out the location of the Nighlock and join the others in battle.

Over at the farm, Serena's mother was busy preparing some breakfast, when her husband came in, having just milked the cows.

"Your breakfast is on the table." She told him. He just put down the bucket and went to the table, but he noticed she was still working.

"I take it that's for Serena?" He asked her.

"She has to eat sometime." Her mother told him. "I heard the bowl smash as I left last night. She'll be hungry..."

"Why don't you just strap a nose-bag to her face?" He asked her. His wife just slammed her hands down on the counter.

"Damn it..."

"What are you going to do? Keep her locked up in the barn forever?" He asked her. "That's our daughter! She's not some animal...!"

"What else was I meant to do?" She sobbed. "Do you think I wanted to do this?"

"She's our daughter!" He reiterated.

"And I just got her back!" She screamed at him. "You know what it did to me to watch her wasting away in that bed. You know what it was like every time the doctors did more tests just to tell us she was getting worse."

"I know, because I went through it too." Her husband reminded her.

"Now, she's healthy and she's strong...and you're telling me I just have to watch as she runs off to get herself killed?"

"She lost someone she loved." Her husband reminded her.

"So did we, so I know what it's like." She sighed, wiping her eyes. "I know that this isn't the right thing to do, but I can't do anything else. I can't watch her 24 hours a day. I know the minute my back's turned, she'll run off."

"She loved him..."

"And I hate him." She told him flatly. "I know it's terrible to say, but if she hadn't met him, if she hadn't loved him...if he hadn't given her that damned disk! It's like he's trying to take her from us!"

"You know that he couldn't possibly have meant for all that." He told her.

"She won't talk to me." His wife sniffed. "She hasn't talked to us since she came back."

"Well, do you really think she's going to talk to us now?" He asked her sarcastically. His wife just turned to face him, tears running down her face.

"Then tell me what I'm meant to do." She pleaded with him. "Please, tell me."

"I think for now the best thing you can do is keep your distance." He told her with a sigh, picking up a plate of toast his wife had made for Serena. "I doubt she'll be particularly happy to see you right now do you?"

With that, he went out of the house, leaving her in the kitchen.

He made his way across to the barn, and unlocked the door, making his way inside. As he did so, he heard a crunch. Pieces of the bowl her mother had brought her were being crushed under his boot, and he could see stains from the stew on the floor and the door. He just sighed, looking up to see his daughter sitting in the corner, looking at him. He had always doted on his girls, and while their mother was always the strict one, between being their sensei and being the main disciplinarian, their father usually came home tired, and just wanting to spend time with them. He was the softer touch of the two parents, something both Serena and Emily knew.

"I guess you're going to be hungry then." He suggested. Serena just glared at him.

"That's all you have to say?" Serena asked him. She grabbed the chain holding her in place and rattled it. "Get this damn thing off me!"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. Your mother has the keys." He told her. "When she doesn't want me to find something, I'll never find it. Remember when I was struggling to give up smoking and she took my cigarettes? I still can't figure out where she put them."

"Dad, she chained me up in the barn!" Serena reminded him. "She's clearly gone insane!"

"Well, I can't say that I think she's going about this the right way, or that I exactly like this." He conceded. "But I can understand where she's coming from doing this."

"Dad, you have tools." Serena reminded him. "A hacksaw, a crowbar, hell, an axe, anything! Just let me..."

"Serena, I'm not going against your mother on this." He sighed. Serena's mouth fell open wide.

"But...but..."

"Serena, you're not going anywhere for the foreseeable future, so perhaps you should take advantage of that." He suggested.

"I can train..."

"Not exactly what I meant." He told her. He sat down next to her, reaching out for her, but she pulled away from him, wrapping herself in her blanket. He was a little hurt, but could understand her reaction in some ways. She was obviously hoping her father would release her.

"Serena, you have to understand, you're not the only one that's hurt." He told her. "When someone hurts us, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we're not on our own. Our actions affect everyone around us."

"I just want..."

"You want to go and get this Serrator, I know." He told her. "It's a natural feeling. He took something from you, something precious. Now, you just want to take it out on him. The problem is, you aren't thinking about everyone else."

"I know what happened with Cody was wrong. That's why I came here!" She screamed. "I know that my actions will put the Rangers in danger, that's why I don't want to be there..."

"Damn it Serena, this isn't about the Rangers!" Her father snapped. "I know that there are bits you don't remember about when you were ill..."

"I'm not ill dad." Serena reminded him. "I was healed remember?"

"Your mother..." He told her. He took a long pause as he thought about it. "You have no idea what your mother went through. If she'd read any more about your condition, she'd probably have qualified for a medical licence. She had to lift and lay you, she checked on you every day..."

"I know she took care of me." Serena sighed. "But that doesn't give her the right..."

"The minister came around so many times we might as well have made him up a room." He told her, reaching out and taking her hand. He looked to her eyes. "He and your mother prayed, they prayed like I've never seen anyone pray before. Your mother even made a lot of promises, anything as long as she wouldn't have to lose you. Even still, we said goodbye to you so many times, our hearts died a little every day watching you waste away."

"Dad..."

He handed her a sheet of paper. Serena looked at it, realising it was a bank statement. A couple of transactions were highlighted. Serena just looked to him. Their farm had always given them a comfortable life. They were never especially rich, but they never struggled. She couldn't believe the size of the transactions.

"But..."

"One of the promises your mother made was that if you lived, she would give whatever we could to charitable causes, do what we could to help other families." He told her. "She kept that promise. When you called and told us that Kevin had healed you, that you'd be fine, she was over the moon. It was a miracle."

"Dad, it's my life..."

"A life that Kevin risked a lot to give back to you." He reminded her. "A life that your mother prayed for; and a life that Stephen risked his own to be a part of."

"Stephen..." She started, her eyes beginning to sparkle a little. "He deserves..."

"Your life is precious, doubly so since you got a second chance that so many people risked everything to give you!" He roared at her. "Now you want to just throw it away? You just want to run after one of the most powerful Nighlock there is?"

Serena could feel a distinct shift in the way her father spoke to her. He wasn't soft or gentle anymore. Now, he was harder. He was angry with her, angrier than she had ever seen him. She quailed a little in fear. She didn't know her father had such anger in him.

"That is the most selfish thing I've ever heard!" He told her flatly. "I may not agree with what your mother did, but since you're not going anywhere, maybe you might try and think about all the people that you'd be hurting if something happened to you."

She looked to him wide-eyed as he continued. She could already feel a lump forming in her throat.

"You want to throw away everything because you lost Stephen?" He asked her again. "Well, what do you imagine your mother would want if we lost you too? What about Emily? You remember her right? Your little sister who put her whole life on hold because of you? How do you think she'd feel? What do you think it would do to her?"

He set down the toast near her, looking at her in a way that made her stomach twist inside her. She felt shame in his gaze. He looked away from her, unable to even look at her any longer.

"Now, you can eat that or throw it away." He told her. "But since I won't be back from the field until dinner time, you'll be very hungry if you do."

As he left, slamming the door closed and locking it, Serena reached for the toast. She was still as mad as hell about the way her mother was treating her, but now, her father had given her a lot to think about. All of a sudden, her simple wishes didn't seem so simple anymore. Outside though, her father wiped the tears from his eyes. He hated seeing his daughter that way, and he was disgusted at himself for the way he yelled at her, but he knew it was what she needed to hear. Now, all he could do was leave and hope that by the time he had finished his work, he would have calmed down enough to speak to her again.

Back in Panorama City, the Rangers arrived, finding a Nighlock and some Moogers attacking a bunch of civilians. As they arrived, ploughing into the first wave of Moogers, the Nighlock looked to them. They were coming at him fast, dealing with his vanguard with startling speed! When he had been sent to the human realm, he knew he would have to deal with the Rangers, but no one warned him how quickly they'd come, or how quickly they'd deal with his entourage! As Mike and Kevin came towards him, screaming as they swung their Spin-Swords, he squealed in terror and fired something at them, before being smashed backwards.

Kevin surged to follow up the attack, but found something heavy holding him back.

"Whoa!" Mike called out as he stumbled forwards, falling to his knees. Kevin felt his hand and arm almost being wrenched clean out as he did. He looked to his wrist, finding it linked to Mike by a lump of gunk, which had hardened, creating what could only be described as a set of short, barely flexible shackles.

"What the...?" Kevin muttered as he pulled Mike up, looking to the gunk. The creature fired off another lump of gunk, which sealed their other hands together, leaving them facing each other, with very little freedom, or personal space.

"Hey!" Jayden called out as he rushed forward. The creature fired a much larger glob of goo, which he incinerated with a fire blast, but by the time he regained his vision from the smoke, the Nighlock was gone. Jayden turned back to Kevin and Mike, seeing them pulling against each other.

"What is this stuff?" Mike asked. "It's kind of like rubber, but it just...it won't...we can't get out of it!"

"Here, let me try." Mia stated, bringing up her Spin Sword. Kevin and Mike held their hands back, leaving as much of the gunk exposed as possible, giving her a couple of inches clearance.

"Just...be very careful." Mike warned her as Kevin looked to him.

"I have every confidence in her." He replied.

"Of course, you have to say that!" Mike snorted. Mia just ignored their bickering and brought her Spin Sword over her head, screaming as she brought it down. It rebounded harshly though, sending her backwards onto her butt. She just looked up at them.

"Alright, not a good move." She muttered. Emily checked out the gunk, which had hardened into a rubber-like state.

"It's not even dented!" She stated, inspecting it for signs that Mia's attack had done anything at all.

"Try de-morphing." Jayden suggested. "See if that gets rid of it."

Mike and Kevin looked around to make sure no one was watching, before recalling their suits. They looked to each other, then to their wrists, before realising to their horror that the gunk was still there.

"OK, now we have a problem." Jayden stated as he shook his head in disbelief. "Alright, let's get back to the house. Maybe we can figure something out there."


	12. Stuck on You

On Master Xandred's Junk, the latest Nighlock, Epoxor, was smashed into the deck as Xandred went into a violent rage. He was furious to see his latest Nighlock return to the Netherworld without news of victory, or even any kind of noticeable progress. He hadn't even managed to injure any of the Rangers in his attack.

"You just came running back here like a coward?" Octoroo asked him, somewhat hypocritically since he was, indeed, a coward himself and rarely if ever took part in any real battles on Xandred's behalf.

"I'm sorry; they came at me too fast! I wasn't ready!" He stammered out in panic.

"Enough!" Xandred roared, drawing his sword. "I will not tolerate such cowardice. It is time for you to taste my steel!"

"Perhaps that would be a little...hasty." Serrator commented, placing his weapon on Xandred's and lowering it. Xandred just glared at him, unable to fathom why he would dare to defy him. Serrator just looked to Epoxor. "Why, I'm sure he has a larger plan at work."

Epoxor didn't know what was happening. All he knew was that one of Xandred's inner circle was offering him a way out, a stay of execution by indicating that he had some kind of grand scheme. Of course he didn't, he had basically just panicked, fired off some of his glue and ran for the hills before the Rangers could turn him into confetti. He nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes, of course I do, I..." He paused, struggling to think of what he could propose as a plan.

"Why, it's simple, but really quite ingenious in its simplicity." Serrator drawled as he turned to face Xandred, starting to piece together something of his own. This inept, bumbling excuse for a Nighlock could provide the distraction he needed to continue to set his own plans in motion. Xandred had kept him annoyingly close recently, and it had been a while since he had a chance to speak with Dekker. "He has glued two of the Rangers together, which means that now two of them are out of commission."

"Uh...yeah, exactly!" Epoxor stated.

"I'm sure that with his talents, he could render the others just as helpless." He suggested.

"Why don't you go back to the human world and glue some humans together?" Octoroo chipped in, suddenly realising that he could try and get some of the glory for himself. "That will draw the Rangers out for sure. Then you can capture all of them in your glue!"

"That was...uh...exactly what I was thinking!" Epoxor stated, getting back to his feet. He smiled as Xandred put away his sword, realising he had just escaped a rather gruesome end. "By gluing those two Rangers together, I created a sticky situation!"

Xandred, Octoroo and Serrator just looked at each other, falling into a deathly silence. Serrator eventually just sighed.

"Even I can't defend that." He groaned, turning and slapping Epoxor as hard as he could, sending him flying out of the Junk. "Just go and rehydrate, then go to the human realm and cause some misery! And if you make any more inane sticky puns, I'll destroy you myself!"

As Epoxor disappeared into a gap, Serrator got up.

"While you keep track of his successes, I have something I must attend to." He told them. "I will be back later."

As he left though, and Xandred went to his chambers to rest, Octoroo cast a critical eye after Serrator. He was getting sick of his sneaking about and his scheming. He didn't know how it would affect his own agenda, and any unknown factor was something that was unacceptable in his view.

"What are you up to?" Octoroo asked rhetorically, before heading off after Serrator, aiming to spy on him and see just what his little side project was.

Back on the farm, Serena was in the barn, doing some exercises to pass her time. Her mother had left her about fifteen feet of slack on the chain, meaning that she had some freedom to move around to continue exercising, but certainly nowhere near enough to mount any form of effective escape attempt.

She didn't have much else to do, and was trying to train as the time ticked slowly by, but she found herself unmotivated, and she was exercising half-heartedly at best. Since he had left, all she could think about was what her father had said to her.

Heading back to the corner that had been set up with her blanket, she sat down, folding her arms on her knees, and rested her head on her folded arms. She couldn't help turning over in her mind what her father had said to her.

He had called her selfish, accused her of not thinking about what others had done for her, and he had screamed at her for failing to consider what her actions would do to others.

She found it hard to remember a time she wasn't angry. She had been angry ever since Stephen had been murdered at Serrator's hands. It was all she could think about, consuming every inch of her being. It fuelled all of her actions since the day she watched him being carried out of the door with all of his belongings to vanish forever. It was something that just fuelled her rage.

She could recall her battle with Serrator. She remembered vividly the battle, every blow, every cut. She remembered the humiliating defeat he handed her, leaving her on her knees, waiting for the final blow that never came. He taunted her, telling her that he wouldn't even grant her the release of death, and leave her to live with the consequences of her actions.

It was then that her tears began anew. She could now remember clearly every thought, every feeling that she had then. She knew that sacrificing Cody was wrong. She knew her actions led to the entire city, thousands of people being placed in danger, but more than that, she remembered one thing. Disappointment, she was disappointed that he had let her live. She was so close to the end, so close, just one cut, and she would have been with Stephen again, then all the poison, all the rage, it would all have been over. More than that though, it would mean that she would no longer miss him. She looked up as the barn door opened, and her mother came in, and started clearing up the pieces of the broken bowl. She paused though as she looked and saw her daughter with tears streaming down her face.

"Mom?" She asked, her lip quivering. "I...I'm..."

She made her way over, grabbing her daughter as Serena broke down, wrapping her arms around her in return.

"I miss him mom, I miss him so much!" She sobbed between desperate gasps of air. "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

"I know it does." Her mother replied, holding her tightly as her daughter finally broke down, letting out all of the pain that had been driving her to self-destructive rage.

"I just want it to stop!" She whimpered. "Please, forgive me."

Serena just wept into her mother's shoulder as she held her daughter, beginning to tear up herself. She never wanted her girls to be in pain, she never wanted to see them cry, and she hated herself for what she had done to Serena, holding her against her will, but in the end, she was glad that finally, her daughter was able to let someone else take some of the strain.

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers arrived back after the battle. Mike and Kevin stumbled and lurched in the door uncomfortably, bouncing off the walls as they went.

"Stop pulling me!" Mike moaned.

"Ow, my wrist doesn't bend that way!" Kevin retorted.

"That's my foot!" Mike screamed, beginning to hop. Mia had gone through before to put a couple of stools near each other, so they could sit down. Walking around seemed to be causing too many problems for them, and since they were stuck this way, she knew who would be left to clean up after them. Mike and Kevin both sat down and twisted the bindings into as comfortable a position as they could, leaving them looking straight at each other.

"If this wasn't such a problem, it would really be kind of funny." Emily commented.

"Screw that, it is kind of funny." Antonio chuckled. Mike and Kevin just glared at him. Jayden turned to Antonio.

"See if you can figure out what this stuff is made of." He told his boyfriend. "Maybe that'll give us some idea how to get it off."

"Maybe if we just destroy the Nighlock?" Emily suggested with a shrug. "It seems to work with every other Nighlock's curse or spell."

"We'll call that plan B." Jayden told her. "I'd really rather not face that thing again without a full team if we don't have to."

Antonio started to check it out, seeing if he could figure it out. He tried using a probe, but it wouldn't penetrate. Failing that, he tried to remove a sample with a scalpel, but again it wouldn't cut.

"Well, it's odd. It's kind of flexible, but it doesn't seem to stretch or cut." Antonio told them. "It's like some kind of glue or rubber, but it's not like anything I've seen."

"Maybe it's time we tried the big guns." Mia suggested, heading out of the room. She came back in a moment later, carrying a circular saw.

"Whoa!" Kevin and Mike chorused together.

"It's Ji's, its titanium edged." She told them. She handed it to Antonio. He just shrugged.

"It's worth a shot I guess." He stated. "Alright guys, hold still."

Not really having much option if they didn't want to lose a hand, they did as they were told, holding their hands clear to give him as much clearance as possible. Antonio plugged in the saw and started it up. He closed in as carefully as he could, but as he touched it to the bonds, he struggled. Some smoke and sparks shot out of the saw after a second or so, and before he could shut it off, the blade shot out, flying spinning across the room, before lodging in the wall a little way over a terrified Emily's head. The Yellow Ranger just gulped as she shifted away from it.

"Alright, bad idea." Antonio muttered. "Sorry Emily."

"Alright, so we know Spin Swords and saws don't work." Jayden sighed. "Maybe we can do something with symbol power?"

"It doesn't feel like there's any plant life in this." Mike commented.

"No water either." Kevin told them. "Not normal water anyway, my symbol power doesn't work on Sanzu water."

"There are no natural earth elements." Emily said, still quivering in terror from the experience of almost ending up with a permanent centre parting. She could feel from the corner where she was curled up on the couch. "I can't release it."

"My symbol power's no use here." Mia told them. "I could cool the air around them to make the bonds brittle, but not without causing serious frostbite."

"My symbol power's useless too." Antonio said with a shrug. "I guess that just leaves you Amigo!"

"NO!" Mike and Kevin screamed together. They could see where that would end up. Even presuming Jayden could burn or melt off the bonds, he couldn't do so without causing serious injury. Jayden shook his head.

"Don't worry, I won't risk it." He told them. "Alright, if we're out of options, I guess that means you two are on the bench."

"What?" Kevin and Mike screamed.

"No, you can't bench us!" Mike protested.

"We can do this!" Kevin added.

"Well, at least they agree on something." Mia responded, comforting Emily as she ran a hand over the top of her head once more, just to confirm that the saw blade had in fact missed her.

"Look, you guys are both great, but like this?" Jayden asked. "You need to be in synch for this to work."

"We can get in synch!" Mike stated. "Right Kev?"

"Right!" Kevin agreed. "We just need a little practice."

Jayden looked to Antonio, who just shrugged. None of them were particularly convinced this was a good idea. Jayden finally relented.

"Alright, we'll give it a shot." Jayden stated. "Everyone out to the training yard."

With that, they all went out to the training yard, Kevin and Mike getting up a little awkwardly as they went. Jayden just shook his head as he watched them.

"This isn't going to end well is it?" He asked Antonio.

"Well, we always have plan B." He reminded him as they left the room.

In another part of town, Cody and Spike were in the comic book store, looking through the selection of new releases. Spike was flicking absent-mindedly through some of the stuff on the shelves, not even registering what he was looking at. While he was into comic books, they were really more Cody's thing than his.

He didn't dislike Cody, in fact, he was one of his best friends, but he had to admit feeling a little less like he wanted to be around him now that he was going to be taking Vicky to the dance. He had accepted that he had left things too late to ask her himself. He had taken so long to figure out that he liked her, that Cody had already asked her. Now, all he could do was sit back and watch them, and try to find a way to get by. Cody let out a small laugh as Spike was lost in his thoughts.

"Wow, I didn't know that was to your taste." He sniggered. Spike furrowed his brows, before looking down at what he was leafing through. It was copies of My Little Pony. Spike recoiled away from them like they were on fire. "Dude, you seriously spaced out there."

"I guess I did." Spike muttered. "I guess I just don't see anything that appeals."

"Are you nuts?" Cody asked him. "Justice League, Ultimates, Black Panther...this section's a goldmine!"

"I guess I'm just not feeling it today." He muttered. "Can we just go?"

Just then, they heard a scream. Seeing a red glow, Epoxor appeared and threw over a stand. As people started to run away, Cody and Spike pulled back into cover.

"That thing..."

"Nighlock." Cody corrected him. "I heard it on the news, they're called Nighlock."

"What's it doing here?" Spike asked. "What could it want here?"

Cody looked up, seeing Epoxor starting to fling a strange goo at people. Some of them got stuck to each other, while others ended up stuck fast to the floor or the walls. He even grabbed one terrified sales rep and threw her up, gluing her to the roof.

"Alright, we need to get out of here!" Cody told him, realising this was way more than either of them could handle. Come on Spike, run!"

As they ran though, Epoxor launched a huge glob, taking them both down. As he ran off into the mall, Cody got up, but found his left leg held fast. He looked down, seeing it was stuck to Spike's right leg by Epoxor's adhesive.

"Oh crap." Spike muttered. Cody started pulling at it, finding that the binding wouldn't budge, not even an inch.

"Alright, there's nothing I can do." He commented. "It looks like we're stuck."

Spike just gave him a withering look.

"You did NOT just say that." Spike muttered. Cody just looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry." He replied, helping Spike up. "Come on. We need to...um..."

It was then that they realised they didn't really have a plan.

"Maybe my dad has something that can cut this stuff off." Cody suggested.

"Your dad's place is miles away!" Spike complained. "How do we get there like this?"

Cody just wrapped an arm around Spike's shoulders.

"Well, the sooner we start, the sooner we get there." He replied. "Come on, it'll be just like a three legged race."

Spike reluctantly put his arm around Cody's shoulders as they started off, stumbling at first, trying to find their pace.

In another part of the mall though, Mal was just heading to the food court. A couple of kids were with him, and thanked him as they all left. He went into the food court, and strolled up to his favourite stand.

"Welcome to the chicken shack, how may I serve you?" The girl behind the counter asked him in a vaguely familiar voice. The skip of her cap was pulled down, covering a large part of her face. He looked to the menus.

"Alright, I'll have two pieces of the extra spicy, with coleslaw and..." He looked to her, and saw she wasn't looking at him, concentrating on the till. It was then that he noticed something was familiar about the little of her face he could see, and he squinted. He caught sight of her name badge. "Melanie?"

"Would you like a drink with that?" She asked, gulping as she heard him say her name. He shifted to see her better, and could see that it was indeed her; it was Melanie, the head cheerleader, the girl that had been dating Spike up until about two months ago. She was the ringleader of the girls that tormented most of the school. To see her here, it was something he never expected.

"Melanie, what are you doing here?" He asked her. She just sighed and looked up.

"I'm performing brain surgery, what does it look like?" She snapped sarcastically. She started to shift a little nervously, pulling her hat down again. "I work here."

"Why?" He asked her. "You're in with the rest of the rich crowd! Your house is only a few blocks from Spike's!"

"Look, do you want this damn meal or not!" She yelled.

"Melanie!" The supervisor called over. As she turned towards him, she started to grovel; it was something Mal had never seen from her before.

"Mr. Cormier, I'm sorry!" She pleaded. "I know..."

He was just waved her towards him, and from the way he looked at her, Mal could tell that she was in serious trouble. He doubted employees were allowed to go off at customers like that. Just then, he heard something behind him, and turned around to see Epoxor attacking some of the food court customers. Before he could run though, it fired a glob of its glue at him, launching him over the counter. As he started to come around though, he felt something around his neck. He started to sit up, but was stopped from doing so, like it was attached to something. He could hear a groan.

"Get off me would you?" Melanie muttered. As he tried to roll off, he found it awkward. He only went so far. He could hear her making kind of a gargling sound. It was then that he saw the reflection in a refrigerator. He and Melanie were held together, back-to-back, by the neck.

"Melanie, grab my arm." He told her. He reached back; taking her arm and helping her sit up with him. She sighed.

"Alright, what is this thing?" She complained, grabbing the thing around her neck. "I can't...I can't get it off!"

"I can't either." Mal told her, pointing to the refrigerator. Melanie looked to the reflection and rolled her eyes.

"Great." She muttered as her co-workers and everyone that could ran away. "This is just great."

"Hey, you aren't exactly the first person I'd choose to spend time with either." Mal snorted in response. "But for now, I guess we're stuck here!"

"Fan-bloody-tastic." She sneered.

They both crossed their arms defiantly, unable to go anywhere, their only hope being that someone would come and release them eventually.


	13. Bound and Bonding

In the training yard of the Shiba House, Kevin, Mike and Mia were all standing on the training mat. Kevin and Mike, through virtue of still being stuck together by Epoxor's glue, Mike and Kevin were working to prove that they could still be effective in battle. Now, almost half an hour in, both of them were covered in welts, which they knew would end up as very painful bruises.

Sparring had been a complete disaster, with either Mike or Kevin over-reaching and pulling the other off balance, meaning that Mia had a very simple time giving them a little sting with her shinai to take the point. She had found it amusing at first, but by now, she was getting a little bored, frustrated and ratty about the fact they were still continuing to be so stubborn when it was clear their situation was unworkable.

"Alright, we can do this, we just need to go right back to basics." Kevin stated.

"What? Standing up?" Antonio asked.

"Holding a sword?" Emily giggled, earning a fist-bump from him, in reference to the number of times Mia had disarmed them. Jayden just glared at them, before stroking the bridge of his nose impatiently.

"Alright, we'll try the basics." He told them. "One-step sparring, basic Kesa-Giri."

Both Kevin and Mike smiled a little. It was a pretty straightforward technique, one both of them had mastered years ago. Mia seemed a lot more reluctant, having battered them both mercilessly for some time. Nevertheless, at Jayden's signal, she lined up and prepared to begin.

As he signalled to begin, she moved forward, bringing her shinai overhead. Kevin pulled off one way, dragging Mike with him with inevitable results.

"Ow! That's my foot!" Kevin complained loudly.

"Dude, stop pulling me!" Mike protested. "If you hadn't pulled me...!"

"One more time." Jayden called out, halting the argument.

"But Jayden, they clearly can't do it like this!" Mia interjected. "I don't want to hurt..."

"Your meatloaf last week was as dry as an old boot." Kevin interrupted her. Mia just gave him a death-glare, before squaring up to go again.

This time as they went, both Mike and Kevin moved to block, but in opposite directions, crashing into each other and staggering each other. Mia responded by knocking their shinai out of their hand and catching Kevin across the backside with a particularly evil, stinging shot across the backside. Jayden held up a hand, before shaking his head sadly and heading back inside. Kevin looked to Mia apologetically.

"You know I was only joking right?" He asked her hopefully. She just turned and stormed off.

"Dude, you are so screwed when we get out of this." Mike teased him. "Come on, maybe we can still do symbol training. If we can get that, this'll all be just an extension right?"

"Right!" Kevin agreed. "Come on!"

As he raced inside, virtually dragging Mike with him, protesting all the way, Emily and Antonio just looked to each other.

"This isn't going to work is it?" She asked him.

"Nope." He replied bluntly. "You want to miss them trying?"

"Nope!" She replied. With that, they both scrambled inside to watch.

Back at the food court, Melanie and Mal were still sitting, back-to-back, connected at the neck by Epoxor's glue. They couldn't do much about the situation, given how they were joined, any time one of them moved too much, they ended up strangling the other. Mal though was starting to wonder if that was such an unappealing option.

"Damn it, what the hell kind of place is this?" He yelled, looking around. "You sell food, but there isn't one knife?"

"It's a fast-food outlet that sells fried chicken!" Melanie snapped in response. "We get all the stuff in pre-prepared and shove it in the fryer! Besides, do you think I'd ever let you near this with a knife? My hair...!"

"Oh yeah, that's the only problem you can think of with me trying to get this off isn't it? Messing up your precious sodding hair!" He snapped in response. "It's not like there's anything more important around the neck to worry about, like the carotid arteries, or the wind-pipe..."

"Screw you!" Melanie screamed, leaning forward, but being forced to lean back again as she ended up strangling them both. She let out a sigh. "God, what did I do to deserve this?"

"You?" He chortled. "I didn't do anything to deserve this. Believe me, of all the people I could be connected to, you rank below my dentist!"

He was winded as Melanie drove an elbow backwards into him, lashing out at this statement. He just took some deep breaths to recover.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" He asked her.

"Having the time of my life." She replied sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, I mean the whole...you know...working thing." He clarified. "Isn't that a bit beneath someone like you?"

She didn't answer, just sulking as she thought about it.

"I mean, it wasn't so long ago you were ripping into Spike for working for his money." Mal commented.

"That was..."

"You're such a hypocrite." Mal commented. "You're working here and you get on his case for not having money? So what is it? Your daddy wanted you to learn the value of a dollar?"

"Don't talk about my dad!" She snapped at him.

"Well, what are you going to do to stop me?" Mal asked her. Melanie just elbowed him again hard.

"I said don't talk about him!" She screamed at him. Mal could detect something else in her voice as she did though. He could hear a subtle break in it. She was crying. This was confirmed as he felt her back start moving, like she was breathing rapidly, sobbing. He reached around, fumbling to take her hand, finally doing so. She just looked to their hands.

"Alright, we're stuck here, its best we learn the boundaries." He suggested. "No more talk about your dad, I promise."

With that, he felt her grip tighten a little.

"Thanks." She replied softly.

A little outside of town, Cody and Spike were keeping an impressive pace as they made their way to Kieran's house to see if he had anything that could release them. It was exhausting, far more so than a simple walk or jog, since they also had to co-ordinate their moves since their ankles were stuck together, making this pretty much the longest three-legged race they had ever been a part of.

Spike still felt awkward relying on Cody though. He had accepted that he had left it too late with Vicky. He was...alright with the fact that they would be going to the dance together. Cody was a good guy, he was...

Suddenly, they both ended up on their faces. He hadn't been paying attention, and he had gotten caught on a tree root. Cody had ended up being dragged down with him. As he looked up, Cody was already back on his feet, offering him a hand. He swiped it away.

"I'm good thanks." Spike told him. "I'll do it."

"Spike, I'm only trying to help." Cody told him.

"Yeah, you've helped enough thanks." Spike muttered. He found himself unable to move, his ankle held in place. It was only then he remembered he was connected to Cody, and apparently he wasn't moving. He looked back, seeing him glaring at him.

"OK, and what's that supposed to mean?" Cody asked him.

"It's nothing." Spike said a little sheepishly. "Now, come on, your dad..."

"No, we can talk about this here." Cody told him defiantly, sitting down and crossing his arms. "Now, unless you plan on dragging me all the way, why don't you tell me what this is about?"

Spike just took a seat next to him, also crossing his arms and looking away. If Cody could be stubborn, so could he, and he was sure Cody would quit before he would.

Back at the Shiba House, Mike and Kevin made their way awkwardly to the easel, each holding a paintbrush. Kevin took a deep breath.

"Alright Mike, let me take the lead." He told him.

"Who made you the leader?" Mike asked him.

"Whenever Jayden's not around I AM the leader!" He reminded him. "So just follow me!"

Jayden, Mia, Antonio and Emily were all watching with interest. If they could master some symbols in this state, then they could morph, and there was hope that they could fight.

Mike pulled one way, and it seemed that as he did, Kevin pulled another.

"Wait, this way!" Kevin told him.

"Kevin, it's this way!" Mike told him.

"You're facing the wrong way; you have to reverse the strokes." Kevin stated. "It's this way!"

"This definitely isn't working is it?" Mia asked.

"Uh...no." Jayden sighed. Just then, Kevin and Mike shrieked and fell to the floor as a flurry of soggy leaves shot out of the paper, plastering every surface of the room. The Rangers started sweeping the wet leaves off, seeing Mike and Kevin glaring at each other.

"Alright, what happened?" Jayden asked. Both of them rattled off loud, harsh accusations with such force and speed that no one could understand anything either of them was saying. Jayden just held up a hand to stop them.

"ENOUGH!" He roared, in a voice so loud and authoritative, it was like he had somehow morphed into being Mentor Ji. Everyone in the room just looked to him as he pointed to Kevin for an explanation.

"Mike wouldn't follow my lead." Kevin told him. "I was just tracing the spray symbol..."

"Spray?" Mike asked him. "I was tracing leaf storm!"

"Alright, that's it! You're both on the bench!" Jayden declared. They both looked to him.

"But..."

"You can't even decide a single course of action between yourselves!" Jayden reminded them. "If you aren't in synch, this won't work. We're going with plan B. You two stay here, we deal with the Nighlock when he..."

Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. Jayden just groaned as Antonio checked it out.

"Somehow he's been keeping low key enough not to arouse our attention." He told them. "People are glued together all over the city!"

"Where is he now?" Jayden asked.

"He's heading for the Ball Park." Antonio replied. "There's a game there tonight."

"Alright, let's deal with this." Jayden told them. "We have Ji on speed dial if we need him. You two...stay here!"

As they left, Mike just shook his head. He had never been afraid of action, and if anything he felt like he let the team down whenever he couldn't join them. He looked to Kevin, seeing a pained look on his face.

"I know, I want to go too." Mike told him.

"I wish you hadn't said that." Kevin grunted. "I drank a lot of juice today."

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding!" Mike whined. "Can't you hold it?"

"Not unless you want to help me with a mop." Kevin replied. Mike just nodded.

"Alright, but you seriously owe me!" Mike stated, realising the position they were in. There was such a thing as knowing your friends too well, and he had a feeling he was about to have one of those moments.

Spike and Cody were still sitting wordlessly, not going anywhere when Cody finally leaned over and smacked him.

"You're such a jerk!" He complained.

"What?" Spike asked. "You're the one refusing to go anywhere!"

"This isn't a recent thing Spike; don't you think I've noticed how cool you've been around me the last few days?" He asked. "I know you have a problem, so just try telling me what it is!"

"I don't have a problem..."

"Well you could have fooled me!" Cody snorted. "Seriously, you're stiff in training, you're distant when I talk to you...Vicky and I have both..."

He saw a little jerk from Spike as he said this, a little gesture, but one that he picked up on. He just stiffened up a little.

"That's it isn't it?" He asked. "Me and Vicky!"

"I don't know what you mean." Spike muttered somewhat unconvincingly. Cody just shoved him.

"Dude, I asked you!" He reminded him. "I outright asked you if you'd be cool with it if I asked her out! You said you would!"

Spike found it hard to say anything. That much was true, Cody had indeed told him that he liked Vicky, and had asked him if there was anything between them. Of course, at the time, Spike wasn't sure there was anything between him and Vicky.

"Is that what this is about? Are you sore because I'm going to the dance with her and not you?" Cody asked him. Again, Spike couldn't answer, not right away anyway. He thought of so many things that he could say, so many of the reasons he had come up with in his mind why Cody and Vicky were a bad fit, but he couldn't think of any of them that wouldn't sound bitter or like sour grapes.

"You're a Freshman." Spike reminded him, somewhat feebly. This much was true, he was actually younger than Vicky, but even as the words came out of his mouth, he could hear for himself how weak it sounded. "Do you know how much shit she'd get..."

"If she cared about that, she'd have said no!" Cody told him. They both sat silently for a moment. Cody took a deep breath.

"Look Spike, you're a friend, and I'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you." He began. "But I did ask, I did what I could. I really like Vicky, you know I do."

"I know." Spike murmured softly. "I guess...it's just like you said, I'm just sore I didn't make a move first."

He reached across, extending a handshake to Cody.

"If I'm going to lose to anyone, I guess I want it to be to you." He assured him. "It's just sour grapes, and that's something I have to deal with. It shouldn't be your deal too."

Cody accepted the handshake, at which they got up. It was then that Cody looked a little worried.

"What is it?" Spike asked him. "Look, I said I'd deal..."

"It's not that." Cody told him. "I need to go!"

"Oh." Spike replied. "Well, there are some trees over there, and I am flexible enough to give you some privacy..."

"Umm...I need to go No. 2." He told him. Spike just shook his head.

"Oh shit." He replied. "How far is your dad's place?"

"How fast can you run?" Cody replied as they took up the three-legged race position again.

Back at the food court, Melanie and Mal were both still sitting, waiting on someone to rescue them.

"You know, you could try talking." Melanie blurted out.

"Sorry, I thought I was a loser." He commented.

"What is your problem?" She asked him. He shifted to look at her, but had to pull back as he ended up strangling them both.

"Oh, I don't have much of a problem really." He commented. "Just the fact you've called us losers all year!"

"I..."

"You and your airhead friends have made Vicky's life miserable because she isn't rich or pretty enough to be one of you." He continued.

She started to shift a little, listening to his tirade.

"Not to mention that little thing where you dated one of my best friends up until you found out he didn't actually have any money."

She fell silent at that one.

"Yeah, but that wasn't all. You had to dump him in front of everyone and call him a loser!" He snapped. "You ripped his heart out and stomped on it for everyone to laugh at! You..."

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say I was a bitch? Fine, I was a bitch! I know I was!" She screamed passionately. He could hear her starting to tear up.

"Oh, don't go looking for sympathy, I don't care what stupid little shit you're going through." He snorted. "What are you doing here? Is it some kind of social studies project? Get to see the little people to laugh at them?"

"Shut up!" She called out.

"Oh, well maybe you need some pocket money." He suggested. "Let me guess, daddy insisted you pay for your own cell phone bills!"

"You don't know one thing about..."

"Oh, I've got it." Mal said with a snap of the fingers. "Daddy cut up your credit cards and now you need to show responsibility to get new ones!"

"You obviously don't read the newspapers do you?" She yelled at him. "My dad didn't do any of that! He can't do much of anything!"

"Oh right because..."

"Because he's in jail!" She wailed. Mal stopped short, unable to answer. He didn't know what she was talking about, but by the way that Melanie started crying, he could tell that she was serious.

"He's in jail?" He asked her. "But Spike..."

"He met my dad, but that was before." She told him. "A few weeks back, some men in suits came around. Dad had been investing money that wasn't his in businesses. They went belly-up."

He couldn't believe what she was telling him. He had heard something in the papers that sounded like this, but he wasn't paying enough attention to make the connection.

"Then the IRS came calling, saying dad hadn't paid his taxes for the last four years." She informed him. "I didn't take this job for fun; I took it because our assets are frozen."

Mal found himself reaching around, fumbling for her hand, finally finding it as she sobbed.

"Thanks to my dad playing dirty games with other people's money, they've taken our house, our cars, our money..." She told him, noticeably weakening as she continued. "We've lost everything!"


	14. What Happens in the Glue

Mike and Kevin were sitting in the Living Room of the Shiba House, having been benched from the battle, and relegated to watching their friends run off into battle with what everyone affectionately called "Plan B", namely simply destroying Epoxor and hoping that just like every other Nighlock, his curse would end when he was destroyed. Kevin felt his hand jerk as Mike moved, and saw it pointing in the direction of a bowl of trail mix.

"Again?" Kevin grunted. "Seriously Mike, if you put half as much time into training as you did into stuffing your face with junk..."

"Well if you put half as much time into having a little fun as you did into lecturing me, maybe you wouldn't be such an ass!" Mike interrupted him. "God, if it wasn't for that bathroom visit, I wouldn't know WHAT Mia saw in you!"

"Take that back!" Kevin growled. He knew he wasn't exactly what everyone considered "fun" like Mike, or Emily, or even Mia, but that remark was more than a little personal. Bringing his relationship with Mia into it was a shot way below the belt.

"Or you'll do what exactly?" Mike teased him, holding up his hands, bringing Kevin's with them by nature of their bonds. "Hit me? In case you hadn't noticed..."

Just then, they heard a scream from the screen...a startlingly familiar one. Looking around, they saw Mia being blasted into a wall and held there with a glob of Epoxor's glue the size of a Buick. Jayden and Antonio tried to follow up, but newly-hydrated, and full of power, Epoxor was too much for them, taking both down with a mass of his glue that looked to be bigger than the Samurai SUV.

"You see?" Kevin protested. "If you could just follow..."

"Follow?" Mike asked, a smile starting to cross his face. He was definitely annoyed by what Kevin had said, but he had put it to the back of his mind, figuring he could repay it later. Something about what he said got him thinking, and now the creative part of his mind that came up with some of his crazier plans was firing on all cylinders. "Kevin, you know how to waltz?"

"Waltz?" He asked. "Mike, our friends..."

"In the waltz, both partners synchronise to one beat." Mike explained. "Look, I can never compete with your technique. If I trained for a few years I'd still be behind you. Do you think you could dial it down a couple of notches?"

Kevin looked to the screen in time to see Emily, the only one still in the fight, being pasted to a wall by Epoxor. He realised that right now, they didn't have much of a choice. They didn't know how long it would take Ji to get to them, presuming he even knew about the battle.

"I guess I always did admire your creative mind." Kevin complimented him. "What do you have in mind?"

Back at the food court, Mal was still reeling from what he had heard Melanie admit. Given that she had said her father's case had made the papers, he was a little surprised that he hadn't heard more about it.

"You lost...?"

"We lost everything alright?" She yelled at him. "Our accounts were frozen! Mom's working at a supermarket to pay for the motel we're living in, and I'm working here are you happy?"

Mal just paused. He didn't like Melanie, she was always kind of...well...to put it bluntly, she had been a bitch. She had teased and mocked any of the girls that had not been as 'pretty' as her and her friends, she had gone out of her way to make many of the people he knew feel like something she scraped off her shoe...she had broken Spike's heart. She had led him astray, turned him into one of the elite, and against his friends, only to drop him in seconds flat when it transpired he wasn't what he thought she was.

"What makes you think I'd be happy about that?" Mal asked her.

"Oh please, you have as much reason as anyone to hate my guts!" She sobbed.

"Well, you haven't been easy to like." Mal agreed. This just seemed to make her cry harder though.

"None of the others know. I only take my shifts here when I know they won't come to the mall." She told him. "If they knew..."

"Wait a minute...they're your friends!" Mal interrupted her. "If you're finding things tough..."

"Kind of like when Jeremy lost his car?" She asked him. Mal could recall the incident and sighed. "Yeah, I thought as much. No doubt Hilary would love to hear about this."

"Hilary?" Mal asked her.

"She's wanted the head cheerleader position all year." Melanie told him. "If she found out about this, how quickly do you think she'd make sure the others knew about it? How long do you think it would take for her to tell everyone how much of a loser..."

"You are NOT a loser!" Mal blurted out. He had done so before he could stop himself, and he could feel her shifting behind him. He looked around as much as he could. "Listen, you used to think anyone that wasn't in your tax bracket was a loser right?"

"Screw you!" She snapped. Mal bit his tongue before he could say something he regretted.

"It's not like you can afford to turn many people away right now is it?" He asked her. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Listen, just because someone doesn't have money doesn't make them a loser."

"Yeah, try saying that when you're living out a suitcase." She snorted.

"I was." He told her. "Once. Besides, I would have thought that this might give you a greater appreciation what those who aren't fortunate enough to have rich daddies have to do to get by."

"Will you shut up about my dad?" She screamed at him, elbowing him again. He reached over, choking her slightly, but figuring it was worth it as he took his bag pulled it towards him. He slid it around to her. "What's this?"

"It's the way I get by." He told her. She opened the bag, and started rummaging.

"I...I...I don't understand."

"My mom and dad work about fifty hours a week to pay the bills." He told her. "I make some money on the side by teaching dance."

"Dance?" She asked him, finally making sense of what she saw. There was a collection of CD's, and some workout clothes in the bag.

"Mom loved dance, I did ballet for four years and ballroom for three." He informed her. "Round this time of year, in the run up to Prom season, a lot of the juniors and seniors want lessons so they don't make complete idiots of themselves."

"You teach people to dance?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"It's not something I advertise." He told her. "Even my friends don't know. I get enough shit just being one of the nerdy kids. I figured I'd only get it worse if people knew I was a ballerina."

Melanie let out a small laugh.

"Trust me, everyone would completely love hearing the head bitch of the school was working at the Chicken Shack." She told him. "Well, was...no doubt when Mr. Cormier comes back, he'll probably sack me for shouting at you."

"Sorry about that." He told her. "I didn't want to get you in trouble."

"Well, there are other outlets." She sighed. "I just hope I can find somewhere else that'll give me shifts when the others aren't around."

"Is that all you think about?" Mal asked her. "What others think about you?"

"School sucks enough." She told him. "It'd suck even more if I didn't have any friends..."

She felt him gripping her hand and she looked down to it. She didn't know why, but she found herself smiling a little to feel it.

"If anyone treats you like that, they were never really your friends." He told her. "Me, Jimmy and Vicky stuck by Spike, even when he was acting like a complete prick hanging out with the cheerleaders..."

"HEY!" She screamed. Mal suddenly remembered that Melanie was the head cheerleader and held up a hand, somewhat of a pointless gesture since, sitting back-to-back, she couldn't see it.

"The point is, we were his friends when he was...well...what you called a loser." He told her. "Have you ever heard the Eric Clapton song..."

"Oh my God, I LOVE Eric Clapton!" She yelled. Just then, he could feel her shifting, as if looking around to see if anyone else had heard her. "I mean..."

"It's alright, no one heard you." He chuckled. She was so image-conscious; he doubted she would want anyone to know she had even heard of Eric Clapton, much less was familiar enough about his music to know any particular songs.

"Nobody knows you..."

"...when you're down and out." She sang to complete the line. She sniggered. "My friends would call me a dork for knowing that."

"Like I said, if they did, they were never your friends." Mal told her. "The point of the song is, your true friends are the ones that stick by you, even when they have nothing to gain by it."

Melanie was silent for a while, a long while. She had heard that song multiple times, hell, she would never risk telling anyone at the school she had the album and had listened to it hundreds of times, but the message was only now beginning to dawn on her. Nobody knows you, when you're down and out...people that were outside the loop...they were cut off. Scorned, abused. She had even been one of the ones throwing the abuse. She was terrified of being one of those people, so much so, she had done everything she could to make sure no one she knew had any idea of her situation.

"I'm sorry for anything I said or did to you and your friends." She told him. "Please, tell them."

"Hey, if we get out of this, I think it'll mean more coming from you." He told her. With that, she squeezed his hand in a wordless gesture. He just smiled. It was a small step for the 'queen bitch', but it was as close to a thank you as he could expect.

Mike and Kevin arrived, just in time to watch the Black Ranger being splatted against the side of a skyscraper with a huge blob of glue. Mike smiled and looked to Kevin.

"Ready for this?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He responded.

"Go Go Samurai!"

It was awkward, especially for Mike, who had agreed to use his Samuraizer with his left hand so they weren't both trying to morph from the same side, but in the end, it worked, and both Rangers were ready for action. Epoxor just laughed seeing them.

"You two seem a little...stuck." He sniggered. "Come on, what do you think you can do like that? I've already taken out the rest of your team!"

"Well, try taking us then!" Mike called out. He rushed forward, at which Mike pulled out his Spin Sword, a little awkwardly so as not to cut Kevin. He turned it into his Forest Spear, and both Rangers rushed forward, screaming as they went.

Epoxor conjured out a club, but he was startled as Mike lowered the point of the spear, before both Rangers fell back, sliding along the ground. He swiped for them, but they went beneath the swing.

Then, he heard a little whistle. He looked down, seeing both Rangers between his legs. He also saw the spear bent, curved...and realised that Mike had driven the point into the ground behind him to put it under stress. They released the end, at which it sprung up, smacking him and catapulting him high into the air.

"Your turn." Mike stated. Kevin pulled out his Spin Sword, also very carefully, and turned it into the Hydro Bow. Mike held it with him, lending Kevin his Symbol Power, and in a storm of energy arrows, Epoxor exploded high in the air. A moment later, the glue around their wrists disappeared, allowing them to roll apart. Mike looked to the nearby building, seeing the glue holding Emily there disappearing.

"You guys did great!" Mia congratulated them. "How did you think about that?"

"It was Mike's idea!" Kevin stated, slapping Mike on the shoulder. "He's the creative one."

"Yeah, but it was Kevin's aim that took out that Nighlock." Mike conceded. "And yeah dude, that IS a compliment."

"Alright guys, we'll have time for back-slapping later." Jayden chipped in. "That Nighlock's just gone Mega Mode!"

With that, they called out the Zords.

In another part of town, Cody and Spike were in the bathroom of his house, Cody looking anxiously at the cistern as Spike waited.

"Well?" Spike asked him.

"I can't go with you watching!" He protested.

"Do you think I want to see...?"

Just then, the glue holding them together disappeared. Both boys just looked at each other.

"Thank God!" They chorused, at which Spike scurried from the room, and Cody hurriedly started unbuckling his belt.

In the food court, the glue holding Melanie and Mal together disappeared. Both of them started stroking their necks, making sure they weren't imagining things, before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, I guess I better get going." Mal sighed. "Mom will be wondering where I am."

"Wait, didn't you come for some food?" She asked him. "I'll give you an extra large portion."

"Uh...is that allowed?" He asked her. Melanie just shrugged.

"Screw it, I'm probably fired anyway." She answered. She stuffed a bag full of chicken and held it out to him. He just smiled. "Just...um...what we talked about...?"

"Not my style." He assured her. "What happened in the glue, stays in the glue."

"I appreciate that." She said, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "Well...uh...see you at school."

"Yeah." He replied. "See you at school."


	15. Desperate Times

Dekker was in a clearing, working hard with the Bane of Life. It was a large, heavy and clumsy bade by comparison to Urumasa. It had been an extension of his being. It was like a part of him.

The Bane of Life was different though. It was a powerful blade, and it responded well to his movements, but still, there was something that did not feel right about it. He had already resigned himself to the fact that it was a broadsword, and not a nodachi as Urumasa had been when it first presented itself to him as its master. He heard a snap behind him and spun in his place, levelling his blade at neck level, but stopping just short of a decapitating stroke. It was Serrator.

"You're getting better." He commented.

"Speak quickly." Dekker warned him. "My thirst for battle..."

"It will be quenched soon." Serrator assured him. He started to pace. "Your time is soon to come."

"It better be." Dekker replied. As Serrator left though, Octoroo was watching. Now he had him, now he had something to tell Xandred. He was in negotioations with Dekker.

He found himself spun away roughly by unfamiliar hands. He looked up into an unfamiliar, angular, white face.

"Who are...?"

"What does my name matter to you?" Jindrax snapped. "Just know one thing. I am the master of blades, and while you may be a Nighlock..."

He threw a couple of knives with enough force to lodge into a nearby tree.

"I can and will carve you into calamari if you don't listen to me." He warned him. "I have an offer to make you."

Octoroo just nodded. While no stranger to battle, he did not favour it. He preferred to settle his disputes with cunning. Instead, he allowed the stranger to help him up and followed him dutifully, fearful of his new captor.

Back at the Shiba House, Mike and Kevin were enjoying the benefits of finally being free of their bonds, putting away the groceries. Mia and Emily were watching their respective fiancés, giggling to themselves.

"So, they're in synch now?" Jayden asked, arriving in the doorway.

"Yup." Mia commented as Mike threw a couple of water melons over his head, which Kevin caught instinctively.

"Then, I guess this taught them..."

"NO...!" Kevin called out as a carton of eggs shattered on the floor. Jayden just shrugged.

"I guess we can't expect miracles overnight." He commented. "Just tell them to get more eggs."

As he left, he was grabbed and thrust against a wall in the living room. He smiled, seeing that it was Antonio.

"You know, in that glue, I didn't get much chance to...

"Just shut up and kiss me." Jayden told him as he pressed his lips to Antonio's.

Jindrax took Octoroo to the forest just outside the city, and even knowing that it might not be the most sensible move, he brought him to the cave. After making sure no one was watching, he waved him inside.

Octoroo was shocked by what he saw. He knew that Dayu was likely still alive somewhere, but he didn't expect this. She was lying, motionless, almost completely immobilised by her apparent injuries. His nostrils caught the distinctive whiff of burnt bacon, the stench of burnt flesh. She looked to him and smiled.

"I bet you've dreamed of seeing me this way." She commented.

"Once or twice." He replied. The thought had been in his head way before the First World War, but Dayu had a habit of finding a way of being around those that made such thing impossible. "So, what is this?"

"I want to ask you a favour." She replied. His tentacles flared up as he snorted in reply.

"A favour?" He splurted, almost amused by the idea. "Perhaps..."

"If you haven't been keeping score, Serrator's gaining power all the time." Dayu reminded him. "Besides, as you may have noticed, I am not without allies."

Just to emphasise the point, Jindrax scraped the edge of one of his daggers against the rock, whetting it. He just looked to her.

"I'm listening." He told her.

"Serrator has found Dekker, this much I know." She told him.

"Dekker?" Octoroo squealed. "But..."

"I have no idea what he has planned for him, but needless to say it is not good." She continued. "I don't care about the human world, I honestly don't, but as long as he is free..."

"This is bad, it's...very bad!" Octoroo agreed. She knew he didn't care about her, or about Dekker, they were only a wrinkle in his plans. However, they were a BIG wrinkle, and he was unsure how to deal with them.

"You and I want the same thing." Dayu told him. "If you help me in my plan, I can return Dekker to me. Then, neither of us will be in the way of your plans."

"But you..."

"Do you think I give a rats' ass about your plans?" She screeched, so much so that she almost pulled her wounds open. "As long as I get Dekker, that's all I care about, even if it's only for a day."

"You have my word you'll have that." Otoroo replied, shaking her hand, confirming the deal. "Now, what do you know of Serrator's plans?"

The following day, Spike was walking to school when he bumped into Cody. He wasn't expecting that, Cody's school was at least a good 20 minute's walk from central.

"Um..."

"I thought we should talk about the stuff we discussed yesterday." Cody began. "Um...well...I really don't want to sound confrontational, but...I'm not going to give up the invitation I made to Vicky."

"Alright, I get that." Spike replied in a defeated sigh.

"I don't want to lose you as a friend." He added. "I just wanted..."

"Look, can we just play brutal, no fist-play, brutal honesty here?" Spike asked him. Cody just nodded, joining him on a low wall. "Yes, I hate the fact that you and Vicky are dating."

"We're n...!"

"I hate the fact that because I was a complete dumb ass, I didn't figure out until it was too late how amazing she is." Spike continued. "I meant what I said when we were connected by that...whatever it was."

Cody smiled a little.

"You're a good guy." Spike said with a shrug. "I guess if I'm losing her to anyone, then it's a good thing it's you."

"You don't know what that means to me." Cody replied, shaking his hand. "Now, if you will excuse me, it's about ten minutes to first class."

Spike found his jaw swinging open as Cody sprinted at a wall, catching onto a bare-visable ledge, before propelling himself onto the rooftops. As easily as he could walk, he started leaping from one rooftop to another.

"Well, I guess now I know how he's been getting between schools." Spike commented. "Maybe he'll teach me that trick one day."

With that, he went into the school, preparing for the day ahead.

Back in the cave, Octoroo was sitting with Dayu, while Toxica tended to her wounds. Jindrax was a safe distance, but was holding s couple of swords just to make a point.

"Alright, so you think...?"

"No, I know it." She interrupted him weakly. "It will take me a while to recover, maybe a few more days, but I need you to help me."

"How?" He snorted. "You spent much of your time..."

"I survived any way I could." Dayu interrupted him. "You, Xandred, I really couldn't care less who wins the battle for the underworld! Guarantee that Dekker and I will be safe, and I'll...I'll do anything you ask."

"I will hold you to that." Octoroo replied, realising how potentially powerful having Dekker and Dayu under his command would be. He shook her hand to seal the deal. "What can I do?"

"I know where Urumasa is." She informed him. "I earned these injuries trying to get it. Let Dekker know where it is, and I guarantee, he will be out of your concerns forever."

"And where is it?" He asked her. Although he knew he needed this trump card, he was not willing to just flaunt it. A trump card was best played by surprise.

"Her Majesty's Nava Base Clyde." She informed him, unable to do anything other than tell him what she knew. Although she wanted to do this herself, she knew she would not be healthy enough in time. "Scotland, it's a naval base called Faslane."

"What do you want in exchange?" Octroroo asked her.

"Once this is done, whatever happens, Dekker and I are off-limits." She told him with authority, despite the fact she was only sitting upright because Toxic was holding her. "Dekker and I are off limits, you do with the world whatever you damn well please."

Octoroo just smiled.

"Agreed." He replied, disappearing into a gap. Dayu hated this part of the plan, she hated the plan, but in the end, if she could have Dekker, her Dekker, back in her arms, even for a moment, then the centuries spent would be worth it.

At Central High School, Spike was walking with his friends, laughing and joking around. A little way away, Melanie was opening her own locker, when a troupe of cheerleaders arrived behind her. Suddenly, one of them dumped the contents of a full slushie over the back of her head.

Mal drew the attention of the others, indicating the incident. He had kept his promise, he hadn't told anyone about Melanie's situation, not even his closest friends.

"What the fuck!" She screamed, incensed at the slight.

"We all know about you." One of the football players stated. "By the way, my dad was planning to retire next year. Now, thanks to your old man, he has to work for the next five years!"

With that, he splatted her in the face with another slushie.

"Oh, by the way, there are open tryouts for the head cheerleader position." One of the cheerleaders announced. "Show up if you'd like, but..."

With that, she dumped another slushie over Melanie. Five others did the same, leaving her shivering. They all ran over.

"What the hell do you want?" She screamed at them.

"What the hell was that about?" Spike asked her.

"They don't like me alright?" She blurted out. She looked to Mal, who already knew about her situation. Hell, anyone that read newspapers knew what her situation was. The fact Spike didn't know said that Mal had kept his promise.

"Yeah, they don't like me either!" Jimmy interjected. "I've never had a slushie..."

"Fuck you!" She screamed, storming off to the bathroom to clean up. Spike just shrugged.

"I guess Karma does come around." He commented. He noticed that Mal wasn't laughing as he said this. Indeed, he was, if anything, annoyed.

"Mal...?"

"I'll catch you up later." He assured them. Just then, he ran into the restrooms behind Melanie.

As he got there, despite it being the Girl's bathroom, Mal just defiantly waved off the girls leaving, seeing that Melanie was there, trying to rinse what was left of the slushie out of her hair.

"I..."

"Get away!" Melanie screamed at him.

"But..."

"I said get away!" She reiterated. Mal did what he could, backing away.

"Uh...what we were talking about last night..."

"Yeah I bet you and your friends had a really good fucking laugh at..."

"I never told anyone, I swear." He interrupted her. Melanie was just looking into the mirror.

"They found out, I'm finished." She said, with a distinctly weak tone in her voice. "They know."

"Look, things look bad..."

Before he could say anything more, she took a razor from her bag, and smashed it on the edge of the sink. He started to move, but Melanie picked up one of the blades, and held it up.

"Melanie..."

"Go ahead!" She screamed at him. "Go ahead and tell me life's worth living! Go ahead and tell me that things will get better!"

"Melanie..."

"By now everyone know!" She screamed at him. "Everyone fucking knows! That guy, yeah, my dad probably fucked him over! The others, by now, everyone will have heard!"

"Melanie..."

"Don't try and tell me it's all worth it!" She whimpered. "I...I..I'm just tired...I can't do this anymore."

With that, she dragged the razor across her wrist. Mal was stunned seeing this, but as she did it to her other wrist, he ran at her, tackling her to the ground. Melanie tried to fight him, but he resisted. He did what he could, but while she was fighting him, there was little he could do. Eventually, once he was already covered in her blood, he managed to grab one of her wrists and hold it tightly. A janitor came in, and dropped his mop.

"What the..

"CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Mal implored him.

"Uh..."

"JUST CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE!" He screamed again. Mal held Melanie, hoping what he was doing...anything he could do, would help. She was the queen bitch of the school, or at least, she had been. Now, she was nothing, and he was the only one there to see how she planned to deal with it.


	16. How to Save a Life

Spinning and confusion...that was all she knew, spinning and confusion. By the time Melanie regained enough composure to even think about moving, she could see someone sitting in the corner, someone who seemed to have been sprayed in blood. His face and hands, he had washed, but the rest...

"Mal?" She asked weakly. He just nodded.

"Yeah, it's me." He told her. "They called your mom, she'll he here soon."

"You..you stayed." Melanie commented. "After everything I said, after everything I did to you and your friends, you stayed."

"Do you think I wanted to see you do that to yourself?" He asked her. "For God's sake Melanie, I don't like what you did to Spike, but..."

He heard her sobbing, but she couldn't do much about it. Her arms were strapped to the sides of the bed because she had tried to take her own life. Until her mother came, strictly speaking, the hospital was responsible for her care, and since she had already attempted suicide, clearly they were not willing to risk her trying again.

"Melanie, what I saw was...well...it was pretty fucked up." He told her. "It was quite easily the worst thing I've ever seen. You slashed your wrists."

"Yeah, I did." She told him. "So?"

"Melanie, for the Love of God, what the Hell were you thinking?" He asked her.

"I wasn't thinking alright?" She snapped. "You know what those kids are like! You know what it'll be like, it won't stop! They'll be on my case every day..."

"No, it's not alright." He snorted. "It's not alright because I have your blood all over me! It's not alright because I was standing maybe ten feet from you when you did what you did! You tried to kill yourself right in front of me!"

She slumped down into the bed.

"It's just like I said, if I'm not queen bitch..."

"Well what the hell do you think everyone else is?" He asked her, approaching her slowly.

"I...I...I wish I'd..."

"Don't say it." Mal told her. "Don't even think it. If you do, that's it. I'll walk out that door and leave you to do this yourself, because if you think for one minute I wanted to see that, you really are more self-absorbed than I thought."

"But..."

"Screw the others." Mal told her. "You know what, screw everyone. Even my friends are asking why I went into that bathroom. Nobody understands, they weren't there, they didn't see what I did."

"Why did you?" Melanie asked him. "Why did you go into the bathroom?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright." He told her. "What the others did, it was pretty brutal, even for them. I just wanted to see you were alright."

"Of course I'm not." She told him. "I'm finished."

"You're only finished if you give up." He replied. "Seriously, those others..."

"I've been one of them." She sobbed. She wasn't even able to wipe away her own tears since she was strapped down to the bed for fear she would try again to end her own life. "My dad's in jail, we've lost all our money, and half the kids have probably got very real reasons to hate my guts!"

"Melanie..."

"I know what it's like because I did it to others!" She wailed. "They won't stop! They won't leave me alone, I know they won't!"

He took her hand, squeezing it gently. Just then, the door opened and a woman, presumably Melanie's mother came in, accompanied by a doctor.

"You?" She asked. "Are you...?"

"I'm the one who found her." Mal explained. "I'm a friend."

Without another word, the older woman threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, not even thinking about the fact he was covered in blood. Even though she had only just met him, she was so grateful that someone was there for her daughter, she would gladly have given him anything. She kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I don't know...I can't...if anything had happened..."

"You're welcome." He told her, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door. "I should just..."

"Wait!" Melanie called out. "I...I really want you to stay."

Mal looked to her mother, who just gestured to a chair by the bed. He nodded.

"Alright, I'll stay a while." He told her, taking a seat by the bed with her mother. He placed a hand on her arm.

Back at the school, it was now lunch time, but word of what had happened had pretty much run through the place like wildfire. People had seen the ambulance arrive. The girls' bathroom on the ground floor was closed, and the sign said that it was for routine maintenance, but everyone already knew the real reason it was closed.

Spike sat with his friends as Jimmy was checking something on his I-Phone.

"Mal's not back yet?" Spike asked. Vicky just shook her head. She had as much reason to hate Melanie as anyone, she had made her life miserable for most of the year, but she had no desire to see her take her own life.

"No, he's not." She told him. Spike put an arm around her. Even though he was sure she'd rather have Cody there, he was at another school. He figured that right now, she would just appreciate having someone.

"Those sick..." Jimmy gasped. "Vultures!"

"What is it?" Vicky asked him.

"Have you seen this shit?" He asked her, handing her the phone. She recoiled in disgust, seeing that it was a Facebook page. It hadn't taken long. The incident had only happened a couple of hours ago, and already Facebook was going insane with the news.

"Better luck next time?" She asked. "Next time cut up, not across and do it right? This is sick!"

"She tried to kill herself and people still won't cut her a break?" Spike asked incredulously. Although she had hurt him, the fact was that he had dated Melanie. Even out with that, he was human. He might not have liked the fact she hurt him, but he would never have wished her to kill herself.

"You should see some of the other comments." Jimmy told him. "It's not exactly fan mail."

"How can people even think things like this?" Vicky asked, handing back the phone like it was diseased. "Sure, she's a bitch, but she's a human being!"

"Well, she did rip on a lot of people." Spike reminded her. "It's not like there aren't plenty of people who wouldn't love the chance to kick her when she's down."

"Yeah, but this?" Vicky asked him. "I can't believe..."

Just then, Cody flipped himself over the fence, landing near them. Spike pulled his arm away from Vicky slowly seeing him. They now had an understanding that they both liked Vicky, but Spike respected the fact she was with Cody.

"I...um..." He stammered, pulling out his phone. "You knew her right?"

"We know her." Spike replied. "As far as we know, she's still alive."

Cody offered Vicky a hand, and pulled her into a hug, leading her away. As they left, Jimmy coughed a little.

"Dude, way to make it not completely obvious you're digging my sister." He commented.

"What?" Spike shrieked. "No, I mean...she's..."

"Dude, I figured it out a while ago. Until Cody showed up, I was hoping you'd make a move." He told him. "Seriously, it's not like the guys are lining up around the block for her, and you're not a complete dick."

"Thanks." Spike stated. "Uh...I think."

"So now you want her because someone else has her?" Jimmy asked him. Spike just shook his head.

"I know it's messed up, but I'm cool with it." He assured him. "She made her choice."

"Yeah, maybe that would be convincing after about a quart of vodka." Jimmy replied, shoving some chips into his mouth.

"You know, you really are irritating when you do that do you know that?" Spike asked him. Jimmy just smiled.

"Little brother remember?" He asked him. "It's in the job description."

"Fine, I'm not exactly doing back flips over the fact that your sister's with Cody." He told him. "But...she IS with Cody, and I'm not going to do anything to risk my friendship with either of them."

"Alright then." Jimmy answered. "Um...I guess this is where I should warn you that if you hurt my sister I'd rip your nuts off...but since you know all that Martial Arts stuff...somehow I think it's a moot point."

With that, he got up and left, leaving Spike by himself. He had told him the truth, he did want Vicky. He did want more from her, but it had taken him so long to figure that out, that in the end, she had ended up with someone else, and that was something Spike was just going to have to live with. Given recent events, he was more than aware how fragile life could be.

At the farm, Serena's mother stirred and woke, only to find herself under the blanket alone. She and Serena had lain in each other's arms, while she wept and spoke with her, unleashing every ounce of pain in her heart for hours. Her husband had been and gone with some food, but in that time, she just stayed with her daughter.

Looking a little way off, she saw the chain unlocked, lying on the floor. She quickly searched her pockets, finding that the key was gone. When she had come to the barn, finding her daughter in tears, she hadn't thought about the fact she was still carrying the keys, her maternal instinct kicked in, and she just held her.

As she ran out of the barn, she looked around desperately, hoping that she could see some sign of Serena.

"Serena?" She called out, hoping to get an answer, but knowing she wouldn't. If what she thought had happened, if Serena had found the keys and released herself, she would be long gone. "Serena!"

She ran to the house, and as she got in, she found something odd, the smell of cooking bacon. She ran into the kitchen, finding Serena standing by the cooker.

"Um...I found the keys." Serena told her. "I was hungry, and I figured you would be too..."

Her mother just came over, wrapping her arms around her. She had suspected the worst, and her daughter had surprised her by giving her so much more.

"I miss him so much mom!" Serena told her as they embraced.

"I know you do." She replied, releasing her a little. "But you didn't leave."

"No, I didn't." Serena assured her. "I can't say that I didn't want to, but...that's just the thing. There's more in the world than what I want."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." She replied. "Now, I believe I made a promise."

With that, she reached into a cupboard, pulling out the octagonal power disk Stephen had made for Kasamune.

"Mom?" She asked.

"The difference between the Blessed Warrior, and the Cursed Warrior is motive." She reminded her. "I contacted Daisuke, and after giving him an earful for giving you that tattoo..."

"Mom...!"

"He sent me the details of the legends." She told her. "The Cursed Warrior seeks battle for challenge, the Blessed Warrior's strength comes from compassion."

Serena looked to her as she smiled at her daughter.

"Vengeance is a selfish emotion, and the exact opposite of compassion." She told her. "If Stephen did finish his work on this, and if this will work, then a vengeful heart would never unlock it, even if you lived for centuries."

"You're...you're going to help me train?" Serena asked her. Her mother handed her the disk and nodded.

"It'll be just like old times." She replied, hugging Serena.


	17. A Difficult Subject

Emily was in a really good mood as she made her way to Cody's place for training. Despite everything, things were actually going pretty well at the Shiba House. Mike and Kevin were getting along a lot better as a result of their experience with Epoxor, Mia had gotten word from her parents that Terry was home, and they were making headway towards building bridges in their relationship, and even Ji had come back to the house, explaining that as part of Brenda's therapy, it had been decided she needed to be able to spend time by herself if she was going to be able to learn to cope without him and get back to a normal life.

She had to remind herself to stop skipping a little as she got there. She had found a pretty good balance so far between being tough enough with her students that they progressed, and took their training seriously, but that they could still have a little fun, and feel encouraged when they did something well.

As she got there though, she could feel that something was wrong, very wrong. Bulk, Spike and Cody were all sitting in the yard, waiting for her. Normally, Cody's dad just took a step back and let them get on with it, dropping in once in a while to keep an eye on them and ensure he was satisfied with the way training was going. His visits had become less frequent now, suggesting he was happy with Emily's methods, so for him to still be here instead of at his workshop, dealing with his latest order, she was sure something was up.

"We didn't want to just leave you hanging without an explanation." Bulk told Emily as she arrived. Now, she was a little more concerned. Seeing the way he was stroking Spike's shoulders, she could see that he was upset about something. He looked incredibly ill, and rather put down.

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"Someone at Spike's school tried to kill herself today." He informed her. "She...um...she did it in the bathroom before first period."

"Oh my God!" Emily gasped, hearing this. "Is she...?"

"An ambulance got to her in time." Spike said somewhat morosely. "The school tried to keep us in the dark, but by lunchtime, everyone knew."

"The news even got to my school." Cody told her, showing her his phone. "I got that during second period."

"It was Spike's ex." Bulk explained. "Under the circumstances..."

"Yeah, of course." Emily said, nodding in understanding. She patted Spike on the shoulder. "We can do this another time. Just...go home and try to get some rest."

Spike nodded, and got up, leaving with his uncle. Cody's dad just looked to her, then back to Cody.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked. Cody just nodded.

"I told you before dad, I don't even know her." Cody assured him. Kieran just left, heading back to the workshop. Emily though was not quite ready to just give it up and go home. Seeing the way he just quietly went into the house, she had a feeling that he wasn't quite as disconnected as he had made out.

She went through the house, finding it hard not to be impressed by the quality of workmanship inside. The house had been built from the ground up by the family over the years, including all the furnishings. Generations of master craftsmen had meant that the interior had the benefit of centuries of time and care to create something amazingly impressive.

As she got through to the rearmost bedroom though, finding a rucksack carelessly dumped by the door, and presumed that was Cody's room. She knocked on the door gently and opened it ajar.

"Cody?" Emily asked. "Do you mind if I come in?"

Cody didn't answer, and Emily wondered if he had heard her. She went inside, finding him sitting by a desk, which was incredibly ornate for a teenager's work desk. Apparently the family's obsession with carpentry was pretty pervasive. Cody was working on something, and apparently he was completely enthralled by what he was doing. So much so, he didn't notice her coming in.

"Cody?"

He scrambled as she startled him, and hurriedly pulled a sheet over what he was working on. She came up to him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She told him. "You just seemed pretty quiet about what happened. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, I didn't even know Melanie." He responded. Emily just sat down with him.

"Don't you mean 'know'?" She asked him. "Spike said she was still alive."

Cody just shrugged.

"I don't get what the big deal is." He told her. "Vicky was upset, that's all I really care about, but Melanie made her life miserable."

"Cody, you can't possibly be that cold about this." Emily asked him. "If she's in Spike's year, that means she isn't that much older than you."

"Yeah, and she tried to kill herself." Cody put down flatly.

"Cody, can you imagine what she must have been feeling like to be so low?" Emily asked him.

"She gave up!" Cody stated. Emily just sighed. While he wasn't from one of the noble families, Cody had been raised with the Samurai code. He had been taught many of the stories, and had heard many of the beliefs that the Samurai had formed over their time. One of their strongest held beliefs was in facing adversity, and not giving up, no matter how hard a struggle got. Unfortunately, Cody was still young. Emily might only have had a few years on him, but it was enough to know that things were rarely so clear cut.

"The world isn't conveniently black and white Cody." Emily told him. "For one thing, not everyone believes what you do. You also have to remember that others have problems that are very different from yours. I can't tell you what Melanie's situation is..."

"Apparently it has something to do with her dad." Cody told her. "He was some big shot, but he was throwing around money that didn't belong to him. So she was rich and popular, not she's not."

"And you think that would be easy to deal with?" Emily asked him.

"So she isn't the queen bee anymore? Who cares?" He asked in response. "I've never been popular..."

"Exactly, so your life hasn't changed." Emily told him. "From what I've heard, Melanie was at the top of the heap when she went out with Spike. That was only about two months ago."

Cody suddenly felt a little quiet hearing this. He hadn't really thought too much about that side of things. He only really knew of Melanie as someone that Spike and the others had told him had messed him around.

"It sounds like her life's pretty much changed overnight." Emily told him. "How would you feel if you suddenly lost everything that mattered to you?"

"But...giving up..."

"And if you're going to judge her like that, you might want to remember that the Samurai were not above Hara Kiri."

"That's different!" Cody snapped. "They only did that if they had failed..."

"And you don't think maybe she felt like she had somehow failed?" Emily asked him, stroking his shoulders. "I don't know much about suicide, but I do know that by the time people go through with an attempt on their own life, they often feel like it's already over. It's not really giving up; often they've already done that before the event."

Cody just looked away, feeling somewhat ashamed.

"Maybe just like our ancestors, she didn't see things as worth fighting for, because she thought the fight was already lost." Emily told him. "Now, all we can hope is that in time, the people that care about her can show her that she's wrong."

Emily could feel the shift in Cody. She knew he was a good kid; he was probably just confused about the whole incident. It was a lot to take in for a kid his age, even Emily couldn't really imagine how bad things would have to be for her to want to take her own life.

Emily just looked to the sheet, and pulled it back, thinking that Cody was working on something to show his dad. She was surprised though, to see that it wasn't any form of woodwork. Indeed, it looked a lot more like something she'd have expected to see Antonio, working on. She could recognise some of the tools he was using too.

"Wow, what is this?" She asked him. "Did you do this?"

"I...um..." Cody started to look at the parts assembled before them. "I kind of got into electronics. We did some work on radios in science, and I got hooked."

"This doesn't look like any radio I've ever seen." Emily commented, picking up a piece that looked a lot like the head of the Bull Zord. "It looks a lot like something Antonio might want to have a look at."

"No!" Cody called out, taking the piece from her and putting it down. He looked to her regretfully. "There's...there's a reason I work on this stuff in my room. Dad..."

"Your dad just wants you to be happy." Emily told him.

"He wants me to be a happy carpenter." Cody sighed. "He doesn't understand this stuff; he thinks it's a waste of time. That's the reason this thing's sat in the shed for a couple of hundred years."

"A couple of hundred...alright, now you've lost me." Emily said honestly. "What is this thing?"

"It's a weapon that the Kin family were working on before the Bull Zord was sealed away." He informed her. Emily knew that the Kin, Ji's ancestors, had been weapon smiths. It made sense that they had something to do with new weapons. "Back when our ancestors first encountered the Bull Zord, the Kin started to create this based on the technology of the Bull Zord. When it went on the rampage, this was entrusted to us, along with the Bull Zord's control disk."

"So it's a weapon?" Emily asked him.

"As near as I can tell, it was some kind of firearm." Cody told her. He just shrugged as she looked to him confused. "What? The Samurai eventually ended up embracing modern warfare."

"So I guess this was never finished." Emily surmised. Cody nodded, pulling out a journal. It contained some ancient parchment, showing the designs, while the journal itself contained various diagrams and notes Cody had made in his attempts to understand it. "It seems like some of Da Vinci's designs; the Kin decided this couldn't work under the technology they understood at the time. I was hoping that maybe with some of the advances we've made since then, I could get this working. You guys can never have too much help right?"

"I guess not." Emily commented. "You know, maybe you should give your dad a chance. If he lets you bring it to us, I'm sure Antonio would be only too happy to give you a hand."

"Thanks, but I'd like to see if I can do it." Cody told her. Emily knew that Kieran loved his son, but she had the impression that since he was raising him without a mother, he could be a little overbearing in his attempts to fulfil both parenting roles himself. His training had been rigid and a lot harder than Emily was used to. With the exception of the work station, Cody's room was a very model of order and cleanliness that defied all logic for a fourteen year old boy. She could understand Cody's reluctance to rock the boat with his dad. "Besides, it's probably nothing anyway."

"Well, if that's what you want, I guess I can respect that." Emily replied. "I'll leave you to it. But, if you want to talk any more, you know...if you have more questions about what happened at Spike's school, I'm sure we can do what we can to answer them."

"Thanks." Cody replied. Emily closed the door over as she left, before pulling out her Samuraizer.

"Alright, I'm coming home earlier than I expected." She told Mike. "I'll tell you when I get there. I'll be home shortly."

Meanwhile, Octoroo was aboard Master Xandred's Junk, and was biding his time. He now knew that Serrator had something planned involving Dekker. While Xandred also knew that Dekker was back in the picture, and was happy that he was a sell sword working for Serrator, he had no idea that Serrator had something planned that seemed to run much deeper than either of them suspected.

Given his discussion with Dayu, and what he observed between Dekker and Serrator, it seemed that he was playing everyone. Dekker, he had said, had a big part to play, but it also seemed that he knew where Urumasa was, and was deliberately keeping the location from Dekker. For what purpose, Octoroo couldn't yet fathom, but he doubted that it would be good.

He was keeping Xandred in the dark about what he had planned for Dekker, assuring him that he was merely a powerful ally that he intended to use. Octoroo didn't know the plan, but he recognised the moves. Everyone had a place, everyone knew a little, but what they knew was subtly different for all involved. He was setting up the dominoes, all he could do was hope that he hadn't set all of them up, and that he would figure it out before he had a chance to set them off.

He could only remember what Dayu had proposed. Right now, with her injuries, she wasn't in a position to do anything herself, and so she had bargained on Octoroo's desperation to stop Serrator taking the Netherworld for himself. So far, he hadn't managed to reach Dekker, he hadn't had an opportunity to slip away on his own, but when he could, he was to find Dekker, and lead him to Urumasa. It wasn't a plan without risk, but doing so would show Dekker that Serrator could not be trusted, and deprive him of a powerful ally. Right now though, he had to sit through another of Serrator's 'show and tell' sessions with a new plan for Xandred. He had to wonder if his own such lectures were ever so sanctimonious and boring.

"I have something special planned for the Rangers." Serrator began his speech. "It is something that I have been preparing for some time, something that will combine a trap, with a major advance in our forces that I have just been...waiting for a chance to exercise."

"By any chance, is this trap anything to do with all the time you've been spending on Monalua?" Octoroo snorted. Serrator just looked to him.

"After your lack of progress lately, I would have thought you'd have far more important things to do with your time than follow me around." He chuckled. "Still, I suppose I should take it as flattering that you want to see how a real Nighlock does things. Yes, I plan to lure the Rangers to Monalua. I have been sowing certain...shall we say...seeds of dissent there."

"Seeds of dissent?" Octoroo asked him.

"Let us just say, that instead of going attracting unhealthy attention with noisy, blundering explosions, I have been building things there for some time. Believe me when I say that by the time the Rangers get there, they will find little support, and even less of a welcome."

"Really?" Octoroo asked him. "So what is this deadly new addition to our army?"

"Why, just a little something I've been considering debuting for some time." He commented, pointing to the window. Xandred and Octoroo looked out, seeing some Moogers on the shore, but completely unlike any they had ever seen before, and carrying a new kind of weapon. Xandred just looked to him in disbelief.

"I will go personally to Monalua." He assured Xandred. "My sell sword will join me. By the time you see what I have in mind, I am certain you will find your headaches far less troublesome."

"Fine, but if you do plan to keep the Rangers distracted, I'll go with you." Octoroo told him. Serrator just looked to him, his eyes boring into him. He didn't want any interference. "Surely you wouldn't mind an extra pair of hands when the battle starts."

"Take him." Xandred grumbled, waving him off dismissively. "It'll keep him from getting under my feet for a little while."

"Anything my master wishes." Serrator replied. "Come Octoroo, if you must accompany me, I will give you detailed instructions what you must do."

On the farm, Serena was in the yard, just finishing her workout, with her mother beside her. It had been a long time since they had trained together, and she couldn't help smiling as she worked with her daughter.

"Your technique is excellent." She complimented her. "It's clear you made good use of the time since you recovered."

"I was surprised how much my body remembered to be honest." Serena admitted. She had been critically ill for a couple of years, so there was something of a loss of step. Of course, since then, she had plenty of time to work at getting back to form, and even improving on what she already had. Her symbol power was stronger than it had ever been, and her technique was beyond what her mother had ever expected. She took the bokken from her, and went to Kasamune, handing it to Serena.

"Who would have thought, my daughter, the Blessed Warrior?" She asked her. "Now, let's just see how brilliant this Stephen of yours was."

Serena drew Kasamune, and placed the octagonal power disk on it. She held the sword into a ready stance, and started it spinning. She could feel a new power coursing through it. It was something she couldn't have believed, but as she tried to hold it, the power dissipated again, and fell inert, just as quickly as it had flared up. Serena looked to her mother, clearly disappointed.

"How often do these things work first time?" Her mother asked her. "I said I'd help you with this, and I meant it. Why don't you try again?"

With that, Serena took a deep breath, and prepared to try again.


	18. A Taboo Subject

As the sun rose over Manalua Island, Octoroo was standing with some Moogers and Dekker, watching Serrator sitting by a brazier, performing some kind of ritual. He didn't really know what he was up to, but he knew that he wanted to see whatever it was. It also gave him his first meeting with Dekker, where the Cursed Warrior hadn't threatened to destroy him in some time. He hoped, that somewhere in all of this, he would get a chance to catch Dekker alone and initiate his part of the plan to drive the wedge between him and Serrator, and deprive him of a powerful ally.

Dekker was sitting a little way off, holding the Bane of Life, the blade that Serrator had given him in place of Urumasa, waiting impatiently. He had little patience for magic, or schemes. He was eager for the battle to start.

"I have waited so long for this moment." Serrator declared as he placed another piece of parchment with an incantation written onto it. "With this ritual, I shall drive a wedge of despair into the heart of this island so deep, it will be felt in the Netherworld."

"He's making a whole island afraid?" Octoroo snorted, chuckling in a low voice, so only Dekker could hear. "Ooh...that's so impressive."

"I don't care." Dekker stated honestly. "If it brings the Red Ranger, that is all that I care about."

"As the flames burn, and the ash falls over the island, the humans minds will be clouded by fear." He told them. "Unable to tell friend from enemy, they will tear each other apart in their terror!"

"OK, that actually is kind of...impressive." Octoroo admitted under his breath. "Turning the humans on each other in their fear will cause untold misery."

As ash rose into the air, and started to fan out across the island, Serrator rose to his feet.

"Soon, the destructive terror will spread like wildfire, bringing my ultimate goal one step closer." He continued, before turning to Octoroo and Dekker. "And you my minions, will be right here to play your part."

"Hey, I'm not your minion." Octoroo reminded him. "I only serve Master Xandred!"

"And I act for his benefit." Serrator reminded him. "And I believe you volunteered to assist me, so for now, that makes you my servant."

Octoroo gripped his staff tighter in his frustration. If it wasn't for Serrator's power, he would act directly. For now, he needed to let things play while he figured out Serrator's endgame, and figure out a way to turn it to his advantage.

Back at the Shiba House, once everyone was Emily was sitting with Mike, lying across him as he held her, gently stroking her hair. She had told him all about hearing about the suicide attempt at the school, and of the subsequent conversation she'd had with Cody. She knew she wasn't qualified to talk with any real authority on the subject. She'd not done much study into the subject, and to the best of her knowledge, no one she'd known had ever had suicidal thoughts.

"Wow." Was all Mike could say after hearing her account of her difficult day. He didn't really know what to say himself. "That's pretty...wow. Um...how are the kids?"

"I think Cody was more confused than upset." Emily told him honestly. "I really hope what I said helped him understand, but I'm not really sure I understood it myself."

She shifted a little to look up at him.

"I said that if he had any questions, we'd try and answer them." She told him. "I really wish I could have said or done something more."

"I'm sure that poor girl's family and friends probably feel the same way." Mike commented. Just then, Antonio came in.

"Guys...whoa." He stated as he came to a halt. "Am I interrupting something?"

"It's not what you think." Mike told him. Antonio noticed that Emily seemed to be a little upset about something. He wanted to press the matter, but he had come in for a reason.

"Mentor wants us in the main room." He told them.

As they got to the main room, they found Ji looking at the map. He had focused on Manalua, an island a short ferry ride from the city. It was a nice place, one that Ji had often said they would visit for a day trip, but they just never seemed to get around to it. He looked troubled by what he saw.

"What's up?" Mike asked.

"I'm getting some very strange readings from Manalua Island." Ji explained. "There's no sign of a Nighlock attack, but there are very unusual supernatural energy signals."

"I tried to get a closer reading, but I couldn't find anything." Antonio told them.

"We also tried contacting some of my contacts on the island." Ji informed them. "There was no answer."

"That definitely doesn't sound good." Emily remarked. Jayden thought about it for a while.

"Despite its size, Manalua has a lot of people there this time of year. It's a bit of a hotspot for short breaks." Jayden informed them. "If there's something going on there causing misery, then they'll have a lot of victims, and the Sanzu River will rise pretty significantly."

He considered his options for a moment. He knew that it would be unwise to just leave the city undefended. Ji just nodded.

"Brenda has her appointment with the cosmetic surgeon tomorrow." He told them. "I want to stay close by in case she needs me. I guess it's for the best that I stay."

"Then the rest of us will go." Jayden told them. "Everyone get ready, the ferry ride's pretty long."

"Ferry?" Mike asked nervously. "You mean...like a boat ferry?"

"No, he means like a flying unicorn ferry." Kevin teased him. "Why would...wait a minute...are you seasick?"

"Just a little." He complained. "Dad took me on a day cruise once. I ended up hanging over the side for the whole trip."

"Well, just try not to think about it." Jayden suggested, throwing Kevin the keys to the SUV. "We've got a long journey ahead of us."

Over at Central High School, Mal came into the school slowly, not really looking at anyone. He could hear some whispers, and when he did look around, he just saw kids looking away sharply and continuing their discussions. He suspected that by now word would have spread about what had happened. As he got to his locker, he saw Spike, Vicky and Jimmy waiting for him. Spike approached him.

"I'm kind of surprised to see you today." Vicky told him, in reference to what had happened. After all, it was only a day earlier; he had watched Melanie slash her wrists only a few feet in front of him.

"Mom didn't want me to come." Mal told them, shaking his head. "I just couldn't sit around though. All I'd do is keep going over it and over it."

"How's Melanie?" Spike asked him.

"She's in the hospital." He informed them. "They managed to stop the bleeding, but she's still...I can't...look, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, that might be a bit hard." Jimmy told him, handing him a local newspaper. Mal read the article in it. It was pretty small, and buried in the middle pages, but he could see that there was a reference to a teen suicide attempt at a local school. Mal just threw it into the trash.

"There's more." Spike told him. "I'm guessing you've probably not been online yet."

"No." Mal said in response. "Why?"

"Um...what happened, it's been kind of a big thing on Facebook." Vicky told him. "Vicky's Facebook page has become kind of a focus for things. It's not been pretty."

"That's an understatement." Jimmy replied.

"Let me see." Mal told them. Jimmy handed him his I-phone, at which Mal just looked at some of the comments in disgust. He threw the phone down in anger. Picking it up, Jimmy checked, and was grateful to see that it wasn't broken.

"Dude!" Jimmy protested.

"Those sick, twisted, evil minded bastards!" He roared at the top of his lungs.

"I agree, but it's not my phone's fault!" Jimmy chimed in again. Mal looked around, and saw a group of cheerleaders, the ones who had dumped slushies on Melanie, looking his way. He started to storm over towards them as Spike tried to grab him, pulling his arm away as he went.

"What, do you think this is funny?" He yelled at them. "Do you think what happened is something to laugh about?"

"Mal..."

"I saw what you wrote on her Facebook page!" He continued as Spike and the others tried to get him away. Vicky was trying to catch his attention about something, but he wasn't paying attention. "Do you know what it's like watching someone do that to themselves? Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"Mal..."

"I was there!" He screamed at them. They all started to back off, looking a little shocked. Mal was rarely the kind of guy to cause a scene. Students were swarming all around them by now.

"It's easy for you to say, my Gran lost her life's savings because of her dad!" Someone called out. Mal just rounded on him.

"And what the hell does that have to do with Vicky?" He asked him. He just looked around at all of them, seeing a number of judgemental, angry expressions. He just threw up his hands. "You know what? Screw all of you! You all make me sick!"

"Malcolm!" He finally heard an authoritative voice behind him yell. He looked around, seeing the principal. The commotion had drawn his attention. "My office."

"What?" Mal called out. "You're getting on my case?"

"My office, NOW!" He reiterated a little more forcefully. Malcolm just looked to his friends, before storming off in the direction of the Principal's office. The Principal just looked around the assembled student body. "All of you go home. First thing tomorrow, there's a mandatory assembly."

"Sir..."

"I said go home Mr. Skullovitch!" The principal cut him off. "I meant now."

With that, they all started to gather their things and file out of the building. Normally, a day off school would be a cause for celebration, but right now, Spike and his friends didn't feel like there was much to celebrate.

On the ferry, on the crossing to Manalua Island, the Rangers were taking a little time to prepare themselves. One of Ji's contacts was in the ferry office, and so to prevent the chances of any unfortunate tourists unwarily making their way to the island into a potentially dangerous situation, they had cancelled all ferries under the pretence of essential repairs. It also meant that the ferry they were taking was reserved purely for them, offering them privacy.

Emily was resting on a guard rail, a little way from the others, who were taking time to relax when Antonio came over. He presented an ice-cream cone to her.

"The captain said he didn't mind." He told her. Emily took it gratefully, forcing a little smile. "I have one for Mike too, but I can't find him."

"He's over there." She sniggered, pointing a little way down the barrier. Mike was there, leaning over the side. Antonio strained to see. "I don't think he'll want any ice cream though."

"Wow, he really is taking this 'Green Ranger' thing seriously." Antonio chuckled, in reference to the slightly unhealthy shade Mike had turned. "Did you know he gets seasick?"

"I do now." She answered with a little smile. "I'm afraid of flying, and he gets seasick. I guess the honeymoon options are limited to the mainland then."

"You're not going to let him forget this are you?" Antonio asked her. She shook her head.

"He teased me for days after the flight home from Japan." She reminded him. Antonio shifted a little closer.

"You...um...you seemed upset earlier." He commented. She just sighed and nodded.

"It's Cody." She informed him. "He started asking some questions, looking for advice. I'm not sure I was too helpful though."

"Questions?" Antonio asked her. "What about?"

"Apparently a kid in Spike's year tried to kill herself." Emily told him. Antonio just furrowed his brows.

"I think I read something about that in the paper." Antonio told her.

"Cody didn't really understand why she would do something like that." Emily informed him.

"What did you tell him?" Antonio asked her. She just shrugged.

"I just told him that people's lives are different, that we don't know what people are going through." She told him. "I also reminded him that Samurai used to commit suicide if they lost a battle and survived."

She just shook her head.

"I said he could come and ask if he had more questions for us." She told him. "How was I meant to talk to him about it? I'm not sure I understand it either."

"Not many people do." Antonio told her. "It's a pretty taboo subject. People don't like talking about it; it just makes things harder to understand unless you have pretty direct experience."

"Do...do you have direct experience?" She asked him. Antonio just smiled.

"I'll tell you what. How about when we get back, we look some stuff up and go talk to Cody together?" He asked her. "Maybe together we can make sure we have more to tell him."

"Thanks Antonio." She answered. Antonio just smiled and put his arm around her.

"Hey Mike, when you're done losing your breakfast, we'll be in the harbour soon." Antonio called over. "I have ice-cream..."

Mike just wretched even more loudly, and leaned over the railing. Antonio and Emily just laughed.

"Sorry amiga." He said to the Yellow Ranger. "I couldn't resist."


	19. The Island

Mike was thankful when the ferry arrived, and he could finally get his feet back on solid ground. He didn't get a long time to appreciate it though. Jayden dismissed the ferry captain, again to prevent the risk of whatever the scans had shown on the island getting beyond it. Although it was a nice, sunny day, there was something of a distinct chill in the air that made everyone uneasy. It was only after a couple of minutes that someone finally put a voice to what they were all thinking.

"This is a tourist place right?" Mia asked. "Well...where are all the people?"

"Something isn't right here." Jayden replied in agreement. They knew they wouldn't be here if nothing was wrong, or if there wasn't at least reason to believe something was wrong. However, it was now coming into tourist season, it was a perfect day, and yet looking around, there wasn't a soul in sight. "Look over there!"

She pointed a little way down the jetty, to where it met the beach. Things definitely didn't look right now. The place looked like all the Zords had done a rendition of Riverdance on the beach. There were towels, picnic hampers, bicycles; toys...even cars had simply been abandoned like they meant nothing. Everything was strewn about, discarded carelessly, like their owners had left in a hurry. Given the state of repair of some of the things left behind, it looked like they had left in a hurry.

"Wow, even Mike's half of our room doesn't look this bad." Emily commented.

"Hey!" Mike protested, in a muffled voice. They all looked around to see him raiding a picnic basket. "What? I puked all the way here! I'm hungry!"

"Until we know what happened here, we have to suspect everything." Kevin reminded him, snatching the sandwich from his hand and throwing it into the sea. "What if all this was something in the food?"

Mike just spit out the mouthful he had, before rejoining the group. Jayden looked around thoughtfully. There were a few buildings nearby, some of them homes, but he couldn't see inside because they all had their curtains drawn. He remembered a time in his youth when Mentor Ji told him the story of the Mary Celeste, a ship that was found drifting at sea, with every member of the crew missing. The presence of meals left untouched, and rooms left undisturbed suggested that there was no indication of an evacuation, no noticeable reason why everyone would simply disappear without any explanation.

"We need to find out what's going on here." Jayden told them. "That means we need to find someone that was here whenever...whatever...happened."

"God, I can see where this is going." Mike groaned, still worrying about his state of hunger, now most of the contents of his stomach had been lost overboard.

"We should split up." Jayden told them. "I need everyone alert, so we're doing things differently. Kevin, you take Emily. Mike, you go with Antonio. Mia, you come with me."

They didn't know why Jayden had chosen these particular teams, but they weren't exactly used to questioning him in the field. He was the Shogun, that was what mattered in the field; they could debate finer points with him later.

"Yeah, cause that always worked out so well for the Scooby Gang." Mike muttered. Emily just sniggered, muffling her laugh as much as she could.

"Alright, let's move out." Jayden told them. He pointed to the mountain in the distance. "That's the centre of the island. We'll meet there in an hour. Until then, if you get in trouble...let the others know however you can."

This definitely worried them. Jayden was not a nervous person, but the still of the island had all of them freaked out, but knowing that Jayden was feeling something too was strangely comforting.

"Antonio, you and Mike head that way, there are some chalets there." Jayden told him. "Kevin, take Emily along that bike track."

As they all went off, Jayden just waved Mia to accompany him, something she did without question, even if right now she had more than a few concerns about this mission.

Melanie was at the hospital, trying for all she was worth to stomach the food she was given. She had...what had been described as chicken stew...though frankly it bore about as much resemblance to chicken, or even an edible substance, as something that the neighbour's Chihuahua laid on the path. Well, her old neighbour, back before she and her mother had been forced to take up residence in the Pleasure Arms Inn because their house had been repossessed.

Still, the jello was edible, if somewhat bland. She had managed to force down a spoonful or two of main course, merely because the nurse wouldn't leave until she did, before starting on the jello. She looked up as she became aware of a shadow. She looked up to see Mal standing there.

"Aren't you meant to be at school?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"It was cancelled." He told her. He didn't want to go into details about the incident. Indeed, he was sure it was the last thing she needed to hear.

"Why?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"Does it matter?" He asked her. "So...how's the food?"

"Pretty crap." She told him honestly, before she held up her plastic spoon. "I think they're only giving me what I can eat with this. I suppose it'll be a while before they trust me with sharp objects."

He forced a smile at her weak attempt at a joke, but she just sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." She began, holding her head in her hands. "I can't imagine what it was like for you. It must have been pretty horrible."

"Let's just say it's something I wish I could forget." Mal assured her. "So, how are you doing?"

"At least they're not strapping me down anymore." She told him. "Mom wouldn't leave me all night."

"She cares about you." Mal stated with a smile. "I could tell how much, the way she hugged me, I was sure she had to have broken something."

He looked to the Jello.

"Don't you need to eat?" He asked her.

"Don't you need to get home?" She asked in response. "I'm sure your parents..."

"Let me worry about that." He interrupted her. This was another part of the story he didn't want her to know. His parents were very old-fashioned in their views. He had to explain to them why he came home looking like he had been working at a slaughterhouse. As soon as they heard that a girl had attempted suicide, they had both forbidden him from returning to see her. They had both reminded him that under their faith, it was an unforgivable sin, and had forced him to say he would do as he was told. Mal though couldn't just leave it at that, not after what he had seen in that bathroom. Although he loved his parents, he couldn't just turn his back. He was connected to this in a way that he couldn't just ignore. He took her hand. "So, what flavour is it?"

"Um...pink?" She suggested. "Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what this is meant to taste like."

"Well, maybe I can help you." Mal suggested, taking a pinch of it. He put it in his mouth and mulled it over. "Um...a distinct flavour of nothing, with an overtone of bland."

Melanie smiled, just a little, hearing this. Neither of them noticed the fact Melanie's mom had arrived, but seeing them in the doorway, she turned and left. She knew Mal had to have lied to get in, since Melanie was still on close care, strictly speaking only family were meant to see her. However, since Melanie's father was in jail awaiting trial, and she was working two jobs just to keep a roof over their head, she was grateful that someone was coming to see her. Her daughter didn't have a lot of people in her life right now, that much had been made painfully clear, so she was grateful that someone, even someone she had barely met, was there for her.

Back on the island, Mike and Antonio came to some holiday chalets, but could still see no one actually outside. Mike felt a shudder up his spine.

"Alright, I will never watch a horror movie again." He whispered. "It's way too creepy here."

"It's about to get creepier." Antonio commented. Mike had to do a double-take as he looked to where he was pointing. There was a patch of red on the side of one of the chalets.

"Um...is that wine?"

"What do you think?" Antonio asked him. "Alright, I think it's clear whatever happened, wherever everyone is, they might not have gone voluntarily."

"Well, we can still try." Mike suggested. "Look, this place, everything's locked up from the inside. If they were inside, they won't have been affected. They might be able to tell us something."

"Mike..."

Mike just knocked on the door.

"Hey, is anyone in there?" He asked. "Look, we only want to talk!"

He heard a mechanical click, and suddenly leapt from the porch, spread-eagling himself on the front porch, just as a shotgun blast sounded, tearing a huge hole in the door. Antonio grabbed his arm, helping him up as the owner, an older man, with some kind of black dust on his face and shoulders came out, carrying the offending pump-action shotgun.

"New plan, leg it!" Mike called out. Antonio didn't need to be told twice as they both ran off, a few blasts narrowly missing them.

They got to a clearing a little way away, and stopped, fighting for breath.

"What the hell was that?" Mike asked. "That guy would have taken both our heads off!"

"He looked terrified." Antonio commented. "Like he thought we were there to hurt him."

"That's because he did." Serrator stated as he arrived. "I think you will find very few friends on this island Rangers."

"Oh great, you're involved?" Antonio asked.

"I have much to show the both of you, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun first." He told them, drawing his weapon. "So, how about it?"

Antonio looked to Mike, and could see a fury in his eyes, matched only by his own. They had a shared desire in this battle. They both looked to Serrator as they morphed, drawing their weapons.

"For Stephen!" They roared together as they rushed him.

On another part of the island, Kevin and Emily were looking for any signs of clues. So far, they could find very little of any real use. No matter where they went, it was always the same. There were signs of struggle, the occasional patch of blood, but other than that, just discarded belongings with no visible signs of the owners returning.

As Kevin picked up a baseball bat, he heard a scream.

"Hey, that's mine!" A kid called out as a small rock collided with his shoulder. Kevin looked up, seeing the kid getting ready to throw another. He just dropped the bat, and backed off, at which the kid picked it up, preparing to swing. "Go away!"

Emily arrived behind him and pulled the bat from his hands, tossing it away. The kid looked terrified, but between them, he had nowhere to run. He ended up cowering before them.

"Please don't hurt me!" He begged them.

"Hurt you?" Kevin asked. "You were..."

"We don't want to hurt you." Emily said reassuringly, putting an arm across Kevin to silence him. She doubted a Kevin lecture was going to help here. This was one of those few incidents where the fact she was only five feet tall, and generally looked about as intimidating as an eight year old might actually be an advantage. She approached him. "We're the good guys."

"No, you're the enemy!" He called out.

"What enemy?" Emily asked him. She could see the boy looked confused. He just seemed to know and believe there was some kind of enemy, but he didn't seem to know exactly what that enemy was. Emily just touched his shoulder softly; something her sister did often, that she knew always made her feel good. She smiled.

"You see, we don't want to hurt you." Emily assured him. "Now, what enemy..."

"Wait...what's that on his face?" Kevin asked gesturing to some dark specks on his face. The boy swept them off and looked to his fingers, thinking about it.

"The ash." He told them.

"Ash?" Kevin asked. "What ash?"

"Some kind of ash. It just started falling, then...everyone went crazy!" The kid told them. Just then, they heard a laugh behind them.

"So, you finally figured it out." Octoroo chuckled. Kevin and Emily pulled together.

"Kid, run." Kevin told him. "Just run and hide. Leave this to us!"

As he ran away, Emily and Kevin both morphed.

"It's not like you to get your hands dirty." Kevin commented as they drew their Spin Swords.

"You'll be surprised what I can do." Octoroo replied, waving them on.

On another part of the island though, Jayden and Mia had lost all sight of any kind of buildings. They had clearly crossed into the park area of the island. They were well on their way to the mountain when Mia checked her watch.

"The others will be expecting us soon." She told him. "We should..."

"You have your own problems." Dekker stated as he stepped out from behind a boulder. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for. He brought up the Bane of Life, letting them see it.

"Dekker." Jayden stated.

"It may be a new and unfamiliar blade, but it will serve the purpose." Dekker told him, changing into his Nighlock form. "Let's see what you can do Red Ranger!"

Both Mia and Jayden morphed, ready for battle.


	20. Guns guns guns!

Ji was attending to his duties at the house, half-heartedly at best. Even though it was stuff he had been doing for more years than he'd like to admit, he had a hell of a lot on his mind.

His girlfriend, a wonderful woman, who was nearly twenty years his junior, was going into surgery on that same day. At the same time, he had to send the Rangers into a situation blind. Their surveillance still couldn't penetrate whatever was going on in Manalua.

He heard a knock on the door, and his attention was snapped from his meditation. They had a gate, they had a fence, deliveries would announce themselves there. There were also protection symbols around the house, so he doubted it was a Nighlock. Even so, he clutched his cane tightly just to be sure.

As he got to the door and opened it, he smiled as he saw Cody.

"You did as your dad for permission this time right?" He asked. Coy just shrugged.

"I doubt you'd grass on me to the school or my dad." He replied. "I have something, something I think you'll want to see."

With that, he dumped the load he was carrying on his shoulder onto the table. He peeled back the covers, showing it to Mentor Ji. Ji just smiled.

"I guess we all have to move with the times." He commented. "Show me how it works."

Kevin and Emily were both snared in Octoroo's tentacles as he slammed them both into the ground hard. He just looked to them both and snorted.

"You are so not ready for what Serrator has in mind." He commented. "Bye."

With that, he dashed both of them into a nearby streak and disappeared. Emily got to the bank first, de-morphing, but finding their opponent long gone. Kevin arrives beside her, spluttering.

"He was toying with us." Kevin told her. "He could have..."

"Uh...I don't read Kanji too well." Emily interrupted him as she pulled out a piece of parchment. "I didn't have this before; he must have put it there!"

"It just says...wait until the secret is revealed." Kevin answered. "What secret?"

"Remember it was Octoroo that gave us this. He was probably messing with us." Emily stated. "Anyway, we have a lead, that kid told us this all started when this ash started falling."

"Let's go." She told him as she started to run toward the mountain. "We have something!"

In another area of the island, Antonio and Mike were not faring that well. Indeed, after their initial barrage, things had gone steadily south. Serrator seemed to feel very little, and taunted them about how ineffective their attacks were.

Right now, they were held in a purple lightning field of some kind, but Serrator only waited for a moment, just long enough to see them suffer, before he released them.

"I wouldn't want you to miss the main event." He told them. "I'll be waiting!"

Mike got up first, but was wobbly on his feet. Antonio helped him, but he was off-balance too.

"What...?"

"I think we're meant to find out." Antonio replied, dragging him as he headed for the mountain. "Come on!"

Jayden was sent tumbling by a surprising attack from Dekker. He knew him well, he had duelled with him once before, but it seemed that he had adapted a lot.

Mia skidded between them on her knees as Dekker tried to strike, and took on the battle. As he watched, Jayden could only think of one thing, she was facing Dekker, easily the most powerful foe he had ever faced.

As Mia was sent spiralling away by the Bane of Life, Jayden ran back to the fight, only to have Dekker lock blades with him, holding them in a test of strength.

"You rely on team mates to fight for you now?" Dekker taunted him. He swept Jayden's sword away, before hitting him with a stroke so powerful, that by the time he stopped rolling, Jayden was sure something had to be dislocated or broken. He raised his head a little, seeing Dekker putting the Bane of Life away.

"You're not even worth fighting anymore." Dekker sneered as he changed back into his human form. "How disappointing."

With that, he disappeared. Jayden couldn't help feeling that Dekker had a point. There was a time, a time when the others weren't there, a time when it was just him facing the Nighlock. He loved the others, and that was the reason...

"Jayden?" Mia asked. He shoved her away, cradling the arm she was sure was at very least dislocated to his chest, while he steadied himself to walk on legs that seemed to be barely able to hold him.

"Go and find the others." Jayden told her.

"No Jayden!" She screamed at him. "We swore out lives to you!"

"I never asked you to do that!" Jayden reminded her sharply. Mia just came closer.

"You're the only one that can make..."

"If you only knew." Jayden whispered as he morphed, gripping his Spin Sword with what was left of his strength. Mia could only follow as he ran off.

Back at the hospital, Mal headed out of the room to get some drinks. He just finished filling the cups when he turned, almost spilling both cups as he saw...

"Mrs. Jamieson..."

"I know you lied to get in to see Melanie." She cut him off. Ma just looked a little nervous.

"Well..."

"It's alright." She said with a smile. "I appreciate it. Melanie doesn't have alot of visitors."

"Um...really?" Mal asked, feigning ignorance. He didn't want her mother to think that Melanie had become something of a social pariah at school thanks to the internet. "But, she's the head cheerleader. She's always surrounded by loads of people."

"Not now apparently." She sighed. "Oh, and I've got an internet connection. I know about the messages."

Mal just shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Sorry..."

"Why?" Her mother asked. "From what I read you're the one that stood up for her." Melanie's mom replied. He just smiled.

"You heard about that huh?" He asked her. "I earned myself detention for a month over that."

"What?" She asked. He just shrugged.

"I kind of picked a fight with half the school." He told her. "I'm alright with it though..."

"Well I'm not!" She snapped. She grabbed Mal by the shoulders. "I know my daughter wasn't all daisies and sunshine, but you've stuck by her when no one else would. You have no idea what that means to me."

"I really wish my own parents felt the same way." He replied. She just looked at him curiously, at which he just waved a hand before her. "Never mind, it's my problem."

"Well, I'll have your name put on Melanie's approved visitor's list. That way you won't have to tell everyone you're her cousin." She stated. "If that's something you'd like of course."

"Yeah, I think I would." He stated. "Sorry to hear about your situation."

"Daniel always felt like he was entitled to more than his lot in life." She informed him. "I knew he wasn't playing by the rules, but...the things they're saying now? I can't believe that's the same man I married."

"If it's worth anything, he probably did it to give you and Melanie a better life." Mal suggested weakly. She just chuckled.

"You're sweet." She replied. "I don't know why my daughter never spoke about you."

"That's something you should ask her." He told her, unwilling to tell her that the reason was likely because while Melanie was the 'queen bitch' of the school, she probably didn't know or care who he was. She hooked her arm with his and smiled as they headed back into her room.

In an abandoned chalet they had found, Jayden was sitting, thinking about his defeat at Dekker's hands as Mia paced back and forth, holding her Samuraizer in increasingly awkward positions, trying to get a signal. Given the situation, she had finally managed to talk him into letting her treat his injuries.

"Hello?" She asked again. "Nothing. Something must be blocking communications."

Jayden didn't respond though. All he could think about was what Dekker had said to him. He had taunted him about the fact that he needed Mia to help him. More than that, he had called him weak. He wasn't blind, so he had noticed that something about Dekker, other than his sword, had changed. He was somehow stronger, more driven than he had been before. Even without Urumasa, he had bested both Jayden and Mia. He was starting to think, maybe he had a point.

He looked to the makeshift sling Mia had made for him. Ever since his first duel with Dekker, his shoulder had given him problems on occasion, and he was sure that Dekker had targeted it specifically. Another weakness, he seemed to be targeting any weakness now.

"Jayden..."

He shoved her away as she tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He grabbed the sling and tore it off, before limping towards the door.

"Stay here." He told her.

"Jayden..."

"I'm your Shogun, I said stay here!" He roared. "I need to go."

"Go and do what?" Mia asked him. "Go and fight Dekker again?"

"I've learned to rely on you all too much. He's right about that." Jayden told her. "I'm going to settle things the way I always should have, alone."

"Jayden, you're too important." Mia told him. Only you can create the sealing symbol. You're..."

"If you knew..." He stated, his word tailing off. He just shook his head. "I'm the Shogun, you're the vassal. Now, do as you're meant to and just do what I say!"

He stormed out of the chalet with as much authority as he could under the circumstances. Mia looked to her Samuraizer as she hoped to find a signal, finding that there were still zero bars. It didn't take long for her to make her decision.

"Screw tradition." She muttered as she ran after Jayden.

Back at the brazier, Dekker was sitting, running a whetting stone over the blade of his replacement sword, the Bane of Life. Octoroo arrived.

"You miss it don't you?" Octoroo asked him. "You miss your true blade."

"This sword will do for now," Dekker replied, "as long as I can find a worthy opponent that is."

Octoroo looked around, checking the coast was clear, meaning that Serrator was not around before he leaned in.

"What if I could tell you where to find it?" Octoroo asked him. Dekker just levelled The Bane of Life to his throat.

"Speak quickly and tell no lies." He warned him. Octoroo just nodded.

"The last I heard, it was at a Naval base in Scotland." He told him. "Some place called Faslane."

"Why should I believe you?" Dekker asked him.

"Well, given your desperation, can you afford not to?" He asked.

Dekker had to admit that much. He had no memory, or at least very few since he had lost Urumasa. It was part of his curse. He still didn't even know why the Yellow Ranger's words, her tirade about how he was throwing away a second chance bothered him so much. In the end though, Octoroo had a point. Things made sense when Urumasa was in his hands. He just took The Bane of Life and put it away.

"If you're lying, you will become a permanent resident of The Dark Zone." Dekker warned him. Just then, Serrator arrived.

"Have I missed something?" He asked. Dekker looked to Octoroo. He had no patience for plots, but even he could see that this was no place for honesty. Serrator had lied to him, at least on this account, so he felt no true loyalty to him. He just wanted Urumasa back, but he couldn't simply walk away before their agreement expired.

"Nothing of note." Dekker put down flatly, surprising even Octoroo. "So where are...?"

Just then, Jayden limped into view. The three Nighlock just turned to see him.

"I didn't think..."

"Where there's smoke, there's fire." He stated, pointing to the brazier. "That's what's spreading the ash isn't it?"

"Five points." Serrator teased him. "Care to go for ten?"

"You spread your ash, you made everyone panic." Jayden continued. "These people...they're going to tear each other apart!"

"Well done, you win the prize." He chortled. "Dekker, why don't..."

"He isn't worth fighting now." He snorted in derision.

"Don't look at me." Octoroo screeched, looking to Serrator. "Maybe it's time for your new secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Jayden asked. Just then, he saw a dozen Moogers, and a new Nighlock coming into view. The Moogers all seemed to be carrying what looked like flintlock rifles, and were wearing conical helmets. Serrator just laughed.

"Hasn't anyone told you?" He asked. "The sword is obsolete. Now is the day of the gun."

The Moogers all levelled their guns at Jayden, just as he morphed. He pulled out his Spin Sword.

"We'll see." Jayden replied, running towards them as the Moogers laid down their first volley.

Back at the Shiba House, Ji fired a blast from the Bullzooka, turning one of the training dummies in the yard into splinters. He smiled as he saw the effect.

"Not as elegant or precise as a sword." He commented. "But it has its merits."

"So...you won't tell my dad?" Cody asked. Ji just sighed.

"Cody, it's your life. Your father cannot live it for you." He told him, holding up the Bullzooka. "You have a very real gift. Your father..."

"My dad wants me to be a carpenter." He sighed. "He was a carpenter; his father was a carpenter, yada yada..."

"That may have suited them, but clearly it is not what makes you happy." Ji put down. "You must talk to him."

"Yeah, good luck on that." He snorted. "He's as stubborn and bull-headed as...well...the Bull Zord. If it isn't his way..."

"Kieran may be stubborn, but he has one admirable trait. He truly cares for those in his life." Ji told him. "Talk to him, you may be surprised."

Just then, he walked towards the door, gathering up his leather jacket.

"I have to deliver this." He told Cody. "I suppose you can show yourself out if I lock up."

Cody just smiled as he left. He was desperate to feel like his family had done more for the Noble Clans, and now, with the Bullzooka, he was sure they had.

Jayden fell to the ground, his suit smoking from a dozen or more hits from the new laser blasters the Moogers were holding. He had studied history his whole life, and so he knew about this chapter. The day of the Samurai effectively ended with the introduction of guns. Even a peasant with a few day's training, could take down a swordsman who had trained for a lifetime in less than a second. He looked up, seeing Dekker sitting on a rock, looking more disgusted or bored than anything.

"Master Blasters, finish him off!" Serrator barked. The Moogers all levelled their blasters at him. However, just as they fired, something blurred across him, something pink. He looked to where Mia rolled to her feet, holding up her Spin Sword.

"Mia..."

"Screw that tradition bullshit!" She interrupted him. "You know what Jayden? You may be a good Samurai, but you're also a complete dumbass!"

"What?" He asked her.

"You trusted us to put your life in our hands, just like we trust you with ours!" She ranted. "It's a big responsibility, I get it, but that doesn't make you weak! It makes us all stronger!"

She ran forward, swatting aside laser blasts, but eventually she was sent tumbling back to Jayden as a blast hit her. She looked up, seeing that it was no longer merely a dozen Moogers before them, but that there were dozens more lining the cliff, giving them the high ground, and an excellent firing position.

The other four Rangers ran onto the scene at that point, skidding to a halt as they helped Jayden and Mia up.

"Alright, what..."

Mike's words were cut off as a laser blast skimmed his helmet. He just recoiled a little.

"Holy mother of...they're packing heat now?" He asked.

"It appears so." Jayden replied.

"So what do we do?" Kevin asked him. Jayden just lifted his Spin Sword.

"We do what any Samurai does." He told them. "We fight any way we can!"

As they charged into battle, Dekker perked forwards with renewed interest. Although his first encounter with the Red Ranger was less than satisfactory, he could see the spirit he desired, the spirit that would drive an opponent to go on, even beyond what seemed like insane odds. He was fighting, even though the Nighlock were stooping to the base, disgusting practice of using guns to fight. Perhaps the Red Ranger still had something to offer after all.

On the ferry, Ji heard his phone bleeping, and knew it was a text from Brenda. He knew she was seeing a cosmetic surgeon today, and he hated not being able to be by her side. He just put his phone away regretfully, hoping he could make it up to her later. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and looked to a crew member who was backing away respectfully.

"We're landing." He informed him. "Just...yeah."

Ji vaulted over the railing, into the hold, where his bike was waiting. It wasn't hard to find, he was the only passenger. In one fluid move, he landed on the bike and kick-started it. Seeing the door opening, he impatiently only waited until it was open wide enough to let him leave, and roared out, jumping the bike off the ramp onto the island.

"Is that guy nuts?" One of the crewmen asked. The captain just shrugged.

"You should have seen him when he was young." He replied. "Alright, let's get out of here. We all know what we're meant to do."

Back at the battle site, The Rangers were doing what they could, but on the whole, were finding themselves being punted around like rugby balls. They might have reached a Mooger, but when they struck him down, another, too far away to take down with a sword, would blast them down. They all rolled into the middle of the valley, smoking from multiple blasts.

"I recognise this from 'Call of Duty'." Mike commented. "They have high ground, longer range weapons...this is a turkey shoot!"

"Gad to see you now know that my Master Blasters leave you obsolete." Serrator taunted them.

"Then what do we do?" Emily asked him. Just then, they heard a motorcycle arriving. It skidded, taking down four Moogers as it went.

"What the...get him!" Serrator called out as Ji morphed into the Black Ranger. The Master Blasters near him seemed to lose all focus on the fact they had guns and ran for him. Ji took them down aggressively, smashing all of them with powerful attacks. The last one dared to raise its blaster, at which he just swatted it aside, snatching it from the creature and kicked it away.

"You call this a blaster?" Ji asked, pulling the Bullzooka from his bike. "THIS is a BLASTER!"

With that, he obliterated the Mooger, as the others just watched. He rolled out, firing off a few more blasts and taking down some more Moogers as he did so. The others just watched.

"Wow, I thought you were all about swords..."

"I played Modern Warfare a few times while you were out!" Ji cut off Mike. He presented the blaster to Jayden. "It's a gift from Cody."

"Super Samurai Mode!" Jayden called out as he summoned the Black Box. He took the Bullzooka and looked to the Master Blasters. "Time for some payback!"


	21. A Lecture

Jayden had never been trained to use a gun, he had never even had a cap gun as a kid. That being said he had to admit how easy it seemed. Instead of prolonged battle, he would simply point the Bullzooka, squeeze the trigger and it was gone.

Mike had often tried to get Jayden involved in some of the light gun games on his consoles, but he had generally politely refused. However, given the additional power of his Super Samurai Mode, he was sure that he was moving so quickly, and taking out so many of these "Master Blasters" that he was sure even Mike would be impressed.

"Don't just stand there!" Ji called out, reminding the others that there were still enemies to fight. They all ran off in different directions, taking down Moogers as they went. Jayden looked to the Nighlock standing next to Serrator as they took care of the last of the Moogers.

"I'll take you out..."

"Yeah, that's what they all say." Jayden stated, combining his Spin Sword with the Bullzooka. "You know where they ended up? You're about to find out!"

With that, he fired off a blast, destroying the Nighlock completely. As much as he hated guns himself, he had to admit that Cody's new weapon was impressive, and it had helped them immensely. He watched as the Nighlock came back to life, growing to massive size.

"I need to take care of that brazier." He told the others. "Antonio, use the Lightzord. The rest of you back him up with the Bullzord."

He started to march forward, at which Octoroo just disappeared into a gap Dekker looked at him with contempt as he strode forward.

"So this is how you do your fighting now?" He asked derisively. "With a gun?"

This got to Jayden. He had already called him out on his weakness. Jayden couldn't help thinking about what he had said. He was used to letting his team help him. He looked to the Bullzooka as Dekker stood before him, extending his arms to his sides.

"Go ahead." He taunted him. "Do it."

Jayden levelled the Bulzooka, and attached the Black Box, placing a Power Disk in it, and spun it. He shouldered the weapon, and looked down it, aiming.

For a moment, a brief moment, he thought about it. He wondered what it would mean to finally be rid of Dekker, to know he would never be back, and how easy it would be just to squeeze the trigger. In the end though, he knew that Dekker wasn't to blame for everything. He adjusted his aim a little.

"I have more important things to worry about than you." He stated. With that, he squeezed the trigger. Despite the fact he had never practiced marksmanship before, it was a good shot. Even though he hadn't really used ny form of gun before, when he fired the full-power Bulzooka blast, it soared past Dekker, destroying the Brazier. Dekker just looked at him and snorted.

"You're weaker than I thought." He responded, turning back into his Nighlock form and lifting the Bane of Life. "Unfortunately that thing is no match for..."

"Gentlemen, a battle of egos?" Serrator asked, holding his weapon across Dekker's chest to restrain him. "I think not. I have much bigger plans for you."

"I am Ronin." Dekker stated, backing down. He looked to Jayden, levelling his sword at him. "You are lucky."

Jayden couldn't help but agree as they disappeared. In the distance, he could see the explosion as the latest Nighlock was vanquished, but he felt no joy in the victory. The day was won, but his deadliest enemy was back, and it seemed he was better than ever. He saw white ash raining down over the island, and a short time later, the others came back, de-morphing as they ran. He joined them, also de-morphing.

"Nice job guys." Jayden stated. "You did it."

"It still felt pretty bad without you amigo." Antonio replied, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend. He then noticed Jayden was not as happy as he'd expect. "Dude, we won."

"Did we?" He asked. Mia stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. She just looked at him.

"You're our Shogun, the head of the Shiba Clan, the only one who can create teh sealing symbol." She reminded him. "More than that, you're our friend. Forget about Dekker and what he said. He's..."

"He's quite possibly the greatest swordsman in history." Jayden interrupted her. "If you knew..."

With that, he just strode off back towards the ferry. Ji was just discussing something with the captain.

"So how sick was it when Mentor arrived?" Mike asked Emily. "You know, he really kicked ass for an old guy."

They all saw Ji's head jerk up as he said this. Although he was older, apparently one thing that hadn't faded in his age was his hearing. He just looked to Mike, crossing his arms.

"Old?" He asked. Mike just looked around sheepishly, hoping someone would help him out of this situation.

"I didn't mean old, like retirement village." He stated. "I meant old like...retro cool!"

"Well, let's discuss how 'retro-cool' I am in the snack bar." Mentor Ji replied, wrapping an arm around him with an evil loo on his face. "I'm suddenly getting a real craving for nachos."

"Smooth move Mike." Emily sighed, shaking her head. Even though she loved him with all her heart, and was planning on marrying him some day, she had to admit that his nature did lead him to make some questionable choices at times. "But Nachos do sound good."

"How the hell do you eat so much and stay that tiny?" Mia asked her. Emily just shrugged.

"I guess there's a parallel universe in my stomach." She commented as they all boarded. They were satisfied that the white ash would do its job, and that the people of Manalua would be alright. Right now, they needed to get back to the city.

Cody was at his place, doing some homework when he saw a shadow blocking his light. He looked around, seeing his father standing behind him.

"I heard that the Rangers had a pretty impressive addition to their arsenal." He commented. "Apparently it really helped."

"That's great." Cody commented as he tried to go back to his homework. Kieran just put his hand down over it.

"You know, I did notice that it was missing from the workshop." He told his son. Cody just looked down. "Do you want to talk to me?"

"Dad..."

"Cody, you did something...maybe three or four people in the world could do." He stated. "Seriously, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were always set on me taking on the family business!" Cody snapped at him. "Seriously dad, I know that you love carpentry but..."

"Well, I guess seven generations of carpenters is enough." He chuckled. Cody just looked at him.

"But..."

"Cody, I can't deny that since we lost your mother, sometimes I've been more than a little hard on you." He told him. "But the one thing that's never changed is that I want you to be happy. I know you're good with wood, but if that doesn't do it for you, then...maybe being a carpenter isn't for you."

"Dad, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." He replied with a smile. "You're my son, and I want the best for you, even if it isn't what I would have chosen. It's your life, I just want you to be happy."

Cody just hugged his dad. He couldn't believe that he was alright with him not wanting to follow the family tradition and become a carpenter, but he was grateful that he was.

"How did you find out?" Cody asked. Kieran just held up his cell phone and smiled.

"Your dad's not a complete dinosaur." He chuckled. "Ji texted me."

With that, Cody hugged him tightly.

In a cave, far from the city, Jindrax came back to find Dayu wandering around. Toxica just shrugged.

"You try and get her to stay still." She commented. Jindrax just walked past her, presenting a newspaper to her. She just read it in interest.

"So, Dekker was there." She stated. "So was Octoroo."

"Yes, I was." Octoroo answered as he arrived. "Dayu, you're looking a lot less...crispy...than the last time I saw you."

"Did you do it or not?" Dayu asked him. Octoroo just nodded as he saw Jindrax tightening his grip on a dagger.

"I told him where Urumasa is." He assured her.

"You have no idea how grateful I am." Dayu told him. "Now, if you please..."

Octoroo left, at which Toxica just looked to her.

"Are you nuts?" She asked. "He's clearly..."

"I don't care what he's up to!" Dayu interrupted her. She started to stroke her arms apprehensively. "I don't care if it is only for a second. If I get Dekker back, MY Dekker back...I don't care."

"This Dekker must have been a great man." Toxica commented.

"He was the best." Dayu told her with authority. "He was the only one who respected me. He was the only man I've ever loved."

"Then we'll help..."

"No, he has all the help he needs, knowing where Urumasa is." She interrupted him. "If you want to pray for anyone, pray for those stationed at Faslane."

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers had all arrived, and splintered off to do their own thing. Jayden came into the yard, finding Ji sitting there with his Samuraizer, checking his messages, before flipping it away.

"How is she?" Jayden asked.

"Brenda's fine, as near as I can tell." He told him. "Apparently the surgery went well."

"I'm sorry..."

"She understands." Ji interrupted him. "She is aware that this war is inconsiderate of feelings. I wanted to be with her, but I could not be."

"Ji, we may have a bigger problem." Jayden told him. "I may have mentioned something about my...secret, to Mia."

"Your..." Ji couldn't fathom any possible reason why Jayden would tell them. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't alright?" Jayden blurted out. "First, Dekker had a go at me for needing the others, then he injured me, then..."

"How much do they know?" Ji asked him.

"Only Mia knows anything." He sighed. "I didn't tell her I swear, but..."

"You realise how serious this is." Ji cut him off bluntly. "You know that this will only work if they have compete faith in you."

"I know Ji." Jayden stated, looking to the door. "Let's just hope they never find out."

Meanwhile, in Japan, at the Tengen Gate, Daisuke was meditating when one of his attendants ran in, patting him rapidly on the shoulder.

"This better be..."

"She's leaving." The attendant told him. Suddenly, all thoughts of meditation left him. Daisuke performed a kip-up that would have been the envy of men a quarter of his age, and he ran out of the temple.

As he got outside, he saw her, standing with an ancient morpher in her hand, and casting the symbol for a horse.

"You're not ready..."

"I decide when I'm ready." She replied. With that, she vaulted onto the horse, and rode off into the distance.

The following morning, at Central High School, the whole student body was present for a compulsory assembly. They knew damn fine what it was about. Antonio was waiting behind the curtain of the stage with Emily. They had both ended up being drafted into this as a result of Ji's contacts. Emily peeked out as the Principal addressed them.

"It's a lot of people." The told him. "I guess..."

"We'll be fine." He assured her. Just then, the principal finished and introduced them. Emily followed Antonio onto the stage as he prepared to speak.

"I've been hearing a lot about something that happened here, I've been hearing that one of your fellow students tried to kill herself."

There was something of a murmur among the students. They all knew what had happened, indeed many of them had already commented on it online.

"Suicide is a taboo subject. We don't like to talk about it." He continued. "However, we cannot judge anyone until we know them. I know this all too well."

Emily was now more intrigued, Antonio never told her what he planned to say.

"You may or may not know me, I have a business, and I'm sure many of you will have bought my goods." He told them. "But when I was thirteen, I tried to hang myself with the belt from my night gown."

There was silence, especially from Emily. It was something that he never told anyone that he knew.

"I am gay." He announced. "I figured it out at 13, and I had a rough time dealing with it."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"I got stuff put into my locker, I got all kinds of stuff sent to my cell phone." He told them. "I even had some guy hack my Facebook page and mess it up. It was more than I could handle. It felt like it would never stop. That's when I took the decision to end my own life."

No one said anything. Emily could see tears in Antonio's eyes as he spoke.

"People talk about suicide like it's giving up. It isn't like that at all." He told them. "Often when asked afterwards, the friends and family of suicide victims will admit there were signs, that there were some things they said or did."

Her looked over the crowd of students, and held the mike closely.

"I thought my dad wouldn't accept me." He told them. "None of the other kids wanted to know me once I figures it out. It felt like I had nothing, and that I wouldn't ever have anything."

Emily was fighting the urge to run over an hug him. Antonio was the fun member of the group. No one could frown or be mad when he was around. She had no idea that he had ever done something like this.

"So, I got dressed in my best clothes and I wrote a letter to apologise to dad." He told them. "I tied one end of the belt around a support beam in my bedroom, and the other end around my neck."

He shifted a little as he came closer to the mike.

"Obviously I was found in time, and from what I was told afterwards, it was a pretty close thing." He stated. "Yeah, what I was told afterwards, I don't remember a lot about what happened there. All I know is what I felt like leading up to it."

Emily by now couldn't stay, she just ran from the stage. Antonio though knew how important what he was saying was.

"You may all be thinking that it's some huge thing, some huge decision, but it isn't like that." He assured them. "It wasn't a decision at all when I did it. It was just the end to the pain."

He could see that the students were uncomfortable, exactly what he wanted. He was passionate about this subject, having been on the edge himself.

"Some statistics show that around one in three people experience suicidal thoughts at least one in their lives." He told them. "Who here can't say they've never wondered if it would be better if they just...didn't wake up...or just...disappeared?"

He moved forward, standing at the edge of the stage.

"One of your fellow students felt like there was nothing to live for." He announced. "And from what I have heard, it was only words that made her feel that way. Maybe you should thing about that. Maybe you should all think about the damage words do, and how they make people feel."

He took the microphone and knelt on the edge of the stage.

"I can't count the number of times I was called a faggot." He told them. "But I can tell you that every time I heard it, it hurt. It made me feel like there wasn't a person in the world that would care what happened to me. Fortunately I was wrong."

With that, he handed the mike to the principal, who was addressing the enraptured crowd. Emily was in a corner, sobbing as he arrived.

"Emily..."

"You?" She asked him. "But...you're so strong, so confident, so..."

"It isn't about strength." He told her. "The strongest man in the world has his limits. I found mine that day."

"But..."

"It ended up alright." Antonio said, hugging her tightly. "It was that weekend that dad told me he already knew and was fine with it."

"But...how...what...?"

"Like I said, sometimes people just reach their limit." He told her. "That night, I reached mine."

With that, he held Emily close, holding her tightly as she wept.

"I'm sorry I sprung this on you." He told her. "I'm sorry."

**A/N: **Suicide is a subject pretty close to me, not only because I have studied it, but because I did know someone that unfortunately took the decision to end their life. I really wanted to get this message across, and help to break the stigma surrounding it.


	22. Fighting Lost Causes

Mal got home, only to find his mother waiting, looking somewhat less than amused. He checked his watch and found that he had indeed come home a lot later than he had intended.

"Mom..."

"You can save the excuses." She stated.

"I don't have any excuses!" He yelled at her. He was just as stunned as she was by the fact he had spoken back to her. He didn't make a habit of it. "I was visiting Melanie."

"That girl that tried to kill herself?" She asked him. "What did I say to you? You shouldn't..."

"Were you there?" He asked her, interrupting her tirade.

"No, but that doesn't matter." She protested. "You know that it's wrong..."

"Well, what about what those bastards did to her to make her feel that way?" He asked her. His mother just looked at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"You do not speak to me that way!" She stated. He just shook his head.

"That's just the problem. No one talks about it." He told her. "I guess my plate's in the microwave?"

With that, he brushed past her into the kitchen. He hated being at odds with his parents, but he couldn't help it. Their faith, no doubt combined with their desire that their son not get too involved with the whole situation had led them to outright forbidding him to see Melanie. Unfortunately, it was already too late. He was already involved.

He couldn't get the image out of his mind, the moment that he saw Melanie take the razor to her wrists. Blood, that was what got to him, there was so much blood. He couldn't believe that one person would be able to bleed so much, but it was all he could think about now. He could still remember seeing it all over the bathroom, and all over his clothing. The smell was the worst, now...days later...he could still smell the blood.

As he re-heated his dinner, he saw his father in the doorway. He just rolled his eyes. His dad was always the disciplinarian in the house.

"Just make it quick." Mal told him abruptly. "My dinner's almost ready."

"Your mother is in tears." He stated. "What the hell...?"

"Dad..."

"We've done everything for you!" He yelled. "We've fed you, clothed you..."

"Yeah, you also told me that I had my own life." Mal protested. "I made a choice..."

"What that girl did was sad, but it was her choice." He blurted out. "Malcolm, she committed..."

"I know what she did dad, I was standing less than ten feet away when she did it!" He barked. His dad just shifted a little.

"Does your faith mean nothing to you?" He asked. The microwave bleeped, indicating that the reheating cycle had finished. He just opened the door.

"I saw it happen. I watched her cut her wrists." He replied. "She felt like she had nothing left. If my faith tells me that I'm meant to turn my back on someone, then to hell with my bloody faith."

Mal's dad was stunned by what he had heard.

"Now, my dinner's waiting." He told him. Mal's dad just walked away, unable to say anything else. Mal hated being at odds with his family, but he couldn't get this out of his mind. Looking to the meal on his plate, he dumped it in the trash, and ran out the back door.

Dekker stood on a hill, looking out over the naval base. After the battle, he had decided to check out what Octoroo had told him, that Urumasa still existed, and that it was here in Scotland.

His connection to Urumasa was so close, that normally he could tell where it was at all times, like it was a piece of him. Since his return though, he hadn't heard it calling. Something blocked it out, something was stopping him hearing it calling for its master. Now though, here, he could hear the faintest whisper of it on the wind. It wasn't much, but enough to let him know that at least in this instance, Octoroo had been telling the truth.

"I will have you in my hands again Urumasa." He declared. He pulled the Bane of Life out of his robes. "I swear it."

"Don't you want to know where it is first?" He heard a voice asking. Dayu, still badly burned from her encounter with Urumasa appeared behind him.

"You again?" He asked.

"That base has hundreds of buildings, thousands of places to hide it." She told him. "I have no desire to fight you, but if you are planning on doing what I think you're doing, then perhaps instead of taking on every marine there..."

"I am not the Red Ranger." He stated. "I don't care if I have to face five or five thousand. I am not afraid."

"I never said you were." Dayu replied, pulling close to him. She stunned him a little as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, before pointing to a building. "It's in there."

"Thank you." He answered, before she disappeared. He didn't know why, but there was something about this Nighlock, this woman, that sang to him, that touched him on a level he didn't fully understand. Looking back to the naval base, he smiled. "Thank you very much."

Mal arrived at the hospital, and came to the room finding, to his horror, that Melanie wasn't there. He ran in, placing his hands on the bed.

"Sir..."

"Where's the girl who was here?" He asked the nurse in a panic. "Where?"

"Mal?" Melanie asked as she stepped out of the rest room. "Um...I was just...freshening up."

Mal breathed a sigh of relief as the nurse left to go back to her rounds. Melanie came back to the bed, sitting on it.

"You do realise that it was only about three hours since you were last here right?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"I figured that you would like another visit." He told her. "I a on your approved visitor list."

"Well, aside from my dad who's still on remand, and my mom, you're the only one that does." She commented. "I guess I only have myself to blame for that."

"Don't..."

"Why not?" She asked him. "I mean seriously, I was the most popular girl in school, and when I finally need something..."

She shook her head as Mal sat with her, putting his arm around her.

"I never thought about what I did. I never gave any thought to the people I hurt." She told him. "I don't even know half the kids I've hurt in my time. I never knew how badly a person could feel..."

"Melanie..."

"Maybe I deserve what happened." She cut him off. "Maybe this is the universe's way of paying me back for being a complete bitch to everyone."

"I doubt that very much." He told her.

"Why, because I deserve to be in Hell..."

"Well, as a Jew strictly speaking I don't believe in Hell." He told her with a little chuckle. "Look, I won't bullshit you, you did some pretty shitty things in your time, but no one deserves this."

"I never noticed this before, but...you're a pretty great guy." She complimented him. She suddenly realised what she had said, and how it had to sound "I mean..."

"Well, you're the first girl in a long time to say that." He laughed. "What your dad did was lousy, but there's no reason that should be your problem. Those other kids are just jackals."

"You...you've been so nice to me." Melanie told him. "Why?"

"Well, I'd like to give you a really deep and philosophical answer, but the fact is, what you did...it really hit me." He told her. "I would never want someone to feel so badly about themselves. This world is a pretty crappy place at times. The least we can do is try not to be complete assholes to each other."

Melanie leaned in, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Thank you." She told him. "Unfortunately, I'm being released tomorrow. I can stay home for a day or two, but when I go back..."

"It'll be fine." Mal assured her. He smiled as he noticed a DVD on her bedside table, and picked it up. "Phantom of the Opera?"

"Um...yeah, mom brought it." She explained. "I'd never admit it out loud, but I'm knd of a sucker for musicals."

"Well, you may as well go for the classics then." Mal commented. He then just took a breath, before starting to sing. "_No more talk of darkness, belay these wide-eyed fearss, I'm here, no one will harm you, my words will warm and calm you_."

She smiled, seeing him pick up a sheet from the other bed in the room and drape it over himself like a cape.

"_Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears, I'm here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you._"

Melanie just laughed, before standing up.

"_Say you love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of Summertime._" She sang in response. "_Say you'll need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you._"

She smiled as he held a hand over the right half of his face.

"You have a pretty good voice, but it was Raul that sang that song, not the phantom." She reminded him.

"Well, I guess all those hours of dance and singing lessons weren't completely wasted then." He chuckled.

"I seriously mean it. Thank you." She told him. "I know if you hadn't done what you did..."

"Hey, we all have to look out for each other right?" Mal asked her. "Where would musicals be without people like us?

With that, he started to head out.

"When you get back to school, I'll be there." He told her. "I know it's not much but..."

"It's more than you know." She answered. "Thank you."

He smiled as he left her, with a bit of a spring in his step. He was defying his parents, he was going against what everyone in the school wanted, and he couldn't care less. He could just feel in his heart that he was doing what was right.

Over in Faslane, an alarm sounded as the doors to the hangar concealing the bunker Urumasa was held in were carved open. Joel arrived, morphed and ready for battle, seeing Dekker standing there as he arrived. A few marines fired at him with their SA 80's, but he blocked most of the rounds, and seemed to barely flinch at the others.

"Hold your fire!" Joel warned them. "Go!"

"But..."

"If you value your lives run!" He commanded them, powering up his saw. "Alright, I don't know who you are, but I can probably guess what you're here for."

"Then step aside and keep your life." Dekker warned him. Joel ran at him, swinging wildly with the saw. Dekker though blocked it, shattering the blade with the Bane of Life, before slicing across his chest, with so much power that Joel de-morphed and fell to the ground face-first. Dekker checked, seeing that miraculously he was still breathing, but was satisfied that he would be no further threat.

"Pathetic." He sneered as he went on.

The rest of his journey was much the same, most of the troops had been ordered to back off, but those that were in his way quickly found out why Dekker was a renound warrior long before they were born. As he got to the deepest chamber, carving open the door with a succession of slashes, he saw Urumasa on a stand a little way off, behind some safety glass. Carter was standing in his way.

"I know what you want." Carter warned him. "You're not getting it."

"And I suppose you're going to stop me?" Dekker asked. Carter just morphed, pulling out his rescue blaster, raising a derisory laugh from Dekker.

"What is it with you Red Rangers and guns?" He asked. "You think that will take me down? Be my guest and try."

Carter fired a volley, but Dekker ran straight through it, ignoring the damage. He swung the Bane of Life, unleashing a power that forced Carter to demorph. With his second slash, he opened his stomach, causing Carter to fall to the ground and clutch it as he bled at a lethal rate. Angela was by his side quickly, fighting to save his life.

Dekker though had other concerns. He looked to the glass, and smashed it with a strike form his sword. He climbed through the hole, and approached Urumasa.

"No, you can't!" Angela screamed. "No one..."

With that, he picked it up and drew the Nodachi with no sign of resistance whatsoever. It let out a melodious hum that only he could hear. Urumasa was back with its master, and that was all that mattered.

"But how...?" She asked.

"He will live if you attend to him now." Dekker told her. "If you value your friend over answers, then you will do so."

With that, he disappeared into a gap, leaving Angela alone with Carter. She picked up a communicator to call a medical team.

**A/N:** The song is from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. I do not own the rights.


	23. An Offer of Help

Ji arrived at Brenda's apartment, dressed up in his best suit. He had missed her first appointment with the cosmetic surgeon, and even though he knew she would understand, he was determined to make it up to her.

He knocked on the door, and waited anxiously for her to answer. Eventually, she opened the door, smiling as she saw him.

"Ji..."

"I promised I would be back." He reminded her, making his way in. One of the things that had always troubled him about their relationship was the age difference. He was not in his twilight years by any means, especially since he took good care of himself, but he couldn't deny that there was always the nagging thought in the back of his head, reminding him that strictly speaking, she was young enough to be his daughter. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I guess it'll take a day or two to heal." She told him. "The surgeon told me he wants me to come back..."

"Whatever you need." Ji assured her. "We will ensure you have it. You have my word."

Brenda gestured him towards the couch, and sat with him. Although he never talked about it, she knew that something was always off with him. She knew that something bothered him.

"Ji, I love you." She told him. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her a little quizzically.

"What? Nothing?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"You know for a guy that spends half his life keeping secrets you're a hopeless liar." She told him. "Ji, what's wrong?"

"I suppose..." He began. "Is this really what you want? I know you said you're willing to take the risks, but..."

"But what?" She asked him. Ji just sighed as he held her hand.

"Brenda, I am not a young man." He reminded her. "You deserve..."

"I deserve to be treated as an adult and not a child!" She yelled at him, wincing as she pulled her stitches. Ji just looked at her with concern, but she shoved him. "I'm not a kid Ji, I'm old enough to know what I want."

"Brenda..."

"I'm thirty one Ji!" She barked at him. "I know you have a few years on me, I knew that at the beginning, but that's something I accepted."

"Brenda..."

"Do you think those silver hairs escaped my notice?" She asked him. "I knew all along about this."

"Brenda, I only want what's best for you." He assured her. "Even if that means..."

"If you even dare say it, I swear I'll bludgeon you to death with this!" She snapped, picking up a lamp. "Ji, I love you, that's all that matters to me."

With that, she put down the lamp.

"Now, unless your next four words are 'I love you too', shut up and kiss me."

"I love you too." He replied, leaning in and kissing her softly. He didn't know what he had done to deserve her, but Brenda was in his life, and he had a feeling that wasn't going to change any time soon. He couldn't be happier about that fact.

Melanie arrived at the motel by cab. They had already lost their car since her father's arrest, so there really was no other way for her to get home.

Home, that was a pretty relative concept. This was nothing like the home she had grown up in. Her family had been rich, privileged. She had always had certain expectations, but this was...well...it was different. It was the only place her mom could afford in the catchment zone to ensure she could still attend classes at Central High School.

It was a simple, two-storey building, built somewhere in the region of thirty or so years ago. The individual rooms were pretty non-descript, with only the most basic of amenities. It was, without exaggeration, nothing like what she had been used to growing up.

"Keep the change." Her mother told the cab driver as she handed over a twenty to pay him for the trip. She looked to her daughter.

"So, are you hungry?" She asked. Melanie just nodded. "Well, we can call something in."

As they were heading to the door of their room, Melanie paused. Her mother quickly saw what had gotten her attention. There was a newspaper on the welcome mat, which was open to a headline about a suicide attempt at a local High School. She put her arm around her daughter. She knew that she had a tough time ahead of her, not least of which was that in ony a couple of days' time, she would have to go back to school. She had considered transferring her, but the fact was that she could not afford to.

"It's alright." She heard someone say. Melanie looked up, seeing Mal standing a little way off, smiling. "Welcome back."

"I was thinking of ordering pizza." Melanie's mother told him. "Would you like some?"

"Well...I'm Jewish and stay Kosher." He told her.

"I think I can handle that." She replied, pulling out her cell phone. She left them both alone, at which Melanie just rolled her eyes.

"What?" He asked her.

"Do you think it's any coincidence she ordered pizza?" She asked him. Mal just shrugged and shook his head, indicating he didn't understand. "Something that doesn't require cutlery to eat?"

Melanie just rested her back against the wall and held her face in her hands.

"Are you really that surprised?" He asked her.

"How am I meant to face this?" She asked him. "How am I meant to go back to school and face the others when my own mom gets nervous when I'm around sharp objects?"

"No one said it would be easy." Mal reminded her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If it means anything at all, I'll walk you to school tomorrow."

"You will?" She asked him. He pointed down the road.

"My parents' place is only about five minutes' walk that way." He told her. He pointed the other direction. "The school's only about five that way. I think I can manage a detour."

"You really don't know what this means to me." She told him.

"The pizza's going to be here soon." Melanie's mother told them. "Um...Sorry, but I sked and the only thing they had that was kosher was the vegetarian..."

"It happens more often than you'd think." Mal assured her. "Thanks."

With that, he followed them into the motel room. He felt something, and looked down, seeing Melanie slipping her hand into his and holding it. He smiled a little as he saw this, before simply gripping it and following Melanie and her mother into the motel room.

Over at the Shiba House, Jayden walked into a room, finding Antonio tinkering with one of his gadgets. He had pretty much no idea what he was doing, but it was always one of the things that intrigued him about Antonio. The fact that most of the time, he had no idea what he was doing, or what was going through his head. As result of his somewhat sheltered upbringing, Jayden was not particularly tech savvy, something he was painfully aware of since he had gotten together with Antonio.

"You want to talk?" Antonio asked him. Jayden just nodded.

"Emily told me about your speech." He told him. "Is it true?"

"Yes." Antonio sighed.

"You tried to kill yourself?" Jayden asked him.

"It was a long time ago." Antonio assured him. "Jayden..."

"You never told me." Jayden stated.

"Jayden, it was easily the worst, lowest point of my life." He continued. "I didn't think there was anything that would make things any better."

"What about your promise?" He asked. "What about me?"

"I made that promise when I was six. I had no reason to think you'd even remember it." Antonio reminded him. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I sprung this on you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything before the speech."

Jayden placed a hand on his shoulder and sat with him.

"Jayden, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm not ashamed of what happened." He told him. "It's part of who I am. If I hadn't..."

Jayden grabbed him, and pressed his lips to Antonio's, before grabbing him in a desperate hug.

"You don't ever have to worry, I'm never letting you go." He stated. He looked him straight in the eyes. "If I have anything to say about it, you will never feel that way again."

"Jay, there is one thing." Antonio stated. "You know all my secrets, all of them."

"Antonio..."

"Mia said something about a secret." Antonio told him. "Jay, it isn't fair of you to expect me to tell you everything and not give me the same courtesy."

Jayden just grabbed his hand.

"Alright, I'll tell you." He told him. "But you have to promise that you won't tell the others."

"Jay..."

"You need to promise." He reiterated. As Antonio nodded, he just took a deep breath. He loved him, and he trusted him to stick by him. "I'll tell you everything."

With that, Antonio just took his hand and held it, waiting to hear Jayden unload the burden he had been carrying by himself for as long as he had known him.

In another room, Emily was at the computer, looking at the screen with something of a giddy smile on her face. Mike came across and looked to her.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Summer sent an E-mail." She told him. "She had the baby."

"Really?" Mike asked. She just nodded as she turned the screen so he could see it.

"It's a girl, they called her Danielle." She informed him. "She was a couple of weeks late, but she's healthy."

Mike just looked to the picture. He smiled as he saw her, the little baby girl. He ran his fingers across the screen, taking in the scene.

"She's...wow." He murmured. "She's just...wow."

"Summer felt the same way." Emily told him. "But it was more ow than wow. Apparently she needed stitches."

"Would you care if you saw this?" He asked Emily, not noticing what she said.

"Yeah, of course you feel like that." She reminded him. "It's not like you'll ever have to go through that. It's not like anyone will say to you..."

Mike crushed his lips to hers. Just the thought of having kids with her one day filled him with joy, but that wasn't what he was thinking about right now. He looked to her happily.

"I really want one of those." He told her. "But not until you're ready."

With that, he turned her back to the screen and held her tightly.

"Can you imagine it?" He asked. "Having one of those? Look at her hands! How tiny is she?"

Emily just laced her fingers with Mikes and smiled.

"Yeah, I can imagine it." She answered. "She is pretty amazing isn't she?"

"Not as amazing as you." Mike answered, holding her closely. "Hey, it says that Dillon thought she smiled at him!"

"Hey guys, what are you...?" Mia asked as she walked by. She paused as she saw the picture. "Is that...?"

"Summer had her baby." Emily said with a nod. "Her name's Danielle!"

Mia pulled up a chair and sat, looking at the screen. Kevin was coming into the room at that point, and saw the team crowding around the computer. He just saw the picture of the baby and slowly backed away, leaving the room quietly before Mia could drag him into the scene.

Over at the farm, Serena was slowly starting to come to. She found a bottle of water held close to her as she did, and accepted the offering from her mother.

"Again?" Serena asked. Unfortunately this had been a pretty regular occurrence over the last couple of days. Using symbol power was very draining, especially when it wasn't done correctly. The power needed to activate the Power Disk Stephen had made for Kasamune was immense, and so far, she had been unable to do so. She had ended up passing out more than a few times, indeed across the last week, she could maybe remember a few hours. Other than that, all she could remember was being peeled off the ground after regaining consciousness.

"I'm afraid so." She commented. "For what it's worth, you held it a lot longer this time. You held it for at least a minute."

"Well, that makes me feel so..."

Just then, she looked up and saw a man standing before her, with heavy facial tattoos and messy hair. Her mother grabbed a katana as he held up his hands.

"Alright, my name is Jindrax." He told them. "I'm not here to fight."

"What are you here for?" Serena asked as her mother tightened her grip on her katana.

"I'm here to talk to the Blessed Warrior." He told them, looking to Serena. "It's about Dayu."

"You know Dayu?" Serena asked him. "Well, if you know her..."

"Please, just let me finish." He told her. "We want to ask you for your help."

"Alright, this has to be a bad joke." Serena scoffed. "You want my help?"

"You know what happened to her. You know about her past." He reminded her. "Dekker's regained Urumasa."

"Shit!" Serena grunted as she got up.

"Kasamune was created as the diametric opposite of Urumasa." He told her. "The title of 'Master of Blades' isn't just a fancy nickname. I know all about the legend of Kasamune."

"Fine, so you know about my sword." Serena snapped. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that you can spend the next hundred years getting dumped on your ass by it and never master the power you need to if you don't figure it out." He told her. "Urumasa is ruled by the desire for battle. Kasamune is powered by compassion."

He looked to her and smiled.

"It is rarely those that deserve compassion that need it." He told her. "If you help Dayu, if you take down Dekker..."

"Wait, Dekker?" Serena asked. "No, I don't give a rat's ass about Dekker, I don't care about Dayu, I only want Serrator!"

"I heard about what happened to your lover." He answered. "But if you have a vengeful heart, Kasamune will never work."

"How do you know...?"

"I was there when the first Blessed Warrior used it." He told her. "The only mistake she made was not finishing the job."

He then picked up Kasamune and threw it to her.

"You have a greater destiny than throwing your life away on a mission of revenge." He told her. "I'll help you reach it on one condition."

"What's that?" Serena asked him. He just smiled.

"You finish what the first Blessed Warrior started." He told her with authority as he pulled out a sword. "Now, how about we get started?"


	24. Jayden's Outburst

The following morning, Jayden assembled the others out on the training yard. Antonio hadn't gotten ready to join them yet; he said he needed a little time to digest what Jayden had told him. He swore he wouldn't tell the others, and that he'd stand by him, but Jayden understood it would take him a while.

In the meantime, he had more pressing matters to worry about. He couldn't get Dekker's words out of his mind. He knew what was coming, what would be expected of him, and he knew what he needed to be. He needed to be the best. He needed to be strong. He needed to be the greatest Red Ranger of all time.

Emily, Mike, Kevin and Mia all surrounded him as he had instructed, waiting to begin. Dekker had told him that he relied too much on his team. Thinking about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had defeated a foe by himself. It had been almost two years now since they had come into his life, and he had a whole team to back him up. Before that, it had just been him and Ji. Of course, back then, Ji hadn't been a Ranger, and so when battle started, it was up to him and him alone. Did Dekker have a point? Had he become soft as a result of having others to help him?

"I'll prove him wrong." Jayden thought to himself.

The others were looking around each other somewhat uneasily. They knew that Dekker's words had gotten to him, that he hadn't been himself since their last battle, but they couldn't think why he wanted all to take on all of them at once.

"Begin." Jayden told them.

"Jay..."

"I said begin!" He snapped again as he surged at Mike. It was a blur of activity as Jayden lashed out like a man possessed. He was a skilled warrior, they all knew that, but it seemed like he was fighting for his life, not merely sparring with friends. Mike came at him, with his shinai raised overhead, only to pause as Jayden had his levelled at his throat.

"Come at me." He commanded them. The Rangers renewed their attack, only to quickly find themselves on their backs, battered and defeated in a sudden flurry of attacks. Mike was the last to go down, and sat up, holding his hand to his head. Blood was running between his fingers.

"Dude, what the hell?" Mike asked him, inspecting the blood from a split in his brow. "It's just practice!"

"Mike, let me see." Emily told him as she pulled his hand away, inspecting his head.

"I'm sorry." Jayden told him. "Go get cleaned up. Practice is over."

With that, the others all helped Mike into the house. Antonio was sitting inside, and watched as they limped painfully in, helping Mike through to the back. Antonio just let out a little whistle.

"Looks like it's just as well I took a break." He sighed. He went out into the back yard, seeing Jayden talking to Ji. It looked like a moment that shouldn't be interrupted.

"Jayden, come for a ride with me." Ji told him.

"I didn't mean to be so hard on them Ji." He rushed out. "You know what we're up against. You know something big is coming..."

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Ji reiterated, pointing to the bike. "Get changed, and get on the bike NOW!"

Jayden knew he wasn't happy. He had only ever used that tone with him whenever he screwed up badly. He already knew he had, and he didn't really want to hear the lecture. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Ji was interested in giving him a choice in the matter. He just made his way into the house, at which Antonio just pulled away, letting him past.

"Do you want to take a shot too?" Jayden asked. Antonio just shook his head.

"I think you'll be taking plenty." He replied, just letting him go.

Over in the Netherworld, Master Xandred was stomping about the deck in another of his rampages. This time, the cause of his anger was the furry worts. They were chattering and singing, attempting to recreate Dayu's Harmonium music. He found his medicine was not having the same effect it once did. It would help, but not much. He was beginning to realise what he was missing was Dayu's music. It was the reason he had brought her to the Netherworld in the first place.

"Octoroo!" He roared, swiping some of them from the roof. "I can't stand these things trying to imitate Dayu's music! They don't help my headaches, they give me headaches!"

"It seems you made a mistake destroying her Harmonium." Octoroo commented. "If Dayu's music is what you need, then Dayu's music is what you'll have."

"I don't care what it takes, I want you to find her and bring her back here!" Xandred yelled at him. Little did he know that Octoroo already knew where she was. He had been working with her towards the goal of figuring out what Serrator was up to and destroying him once and for all. It was not going quickly, hindered at least in part by the fact that she had gotten herself badly injured in her attempt to retrieve Urumasa and had been unable to take any real part in the plan as she recovered her strength.

"I will do as you say." Octoroo told him. "As strange as it is to say, Id actually like to see her back here."

He disappeared into a gap, on the pretence of going in search of her. He had to discuss this newest development with her to figure out where they would go from there.

At Central High School, Melanie made her way nervously into the school. It hadn't been long since her attempt on her life, and she didn't really want to go back yet, but unfortunately it was coming to the end of the year, and with assignments due, she couldn't really afford to take much more time off.

She tried in vain to hide her face as she came in, but it was pretty pointless. By now, everyone knew what she had done. She had already ended up deleting her Facebook and Twitter accounts because she was fed up of reading all of the horrid comments some of the other kids had posted about her.

Making her way to her locker, she opened it, only to find a number of disposable razors tumbling out onto the floor. There were a few sniggers from nearby, but she just tried to ignore them as she started to tidy them up. Mal and his friends came over, and started to help her.

"Hey Melanie." Vicky greeted her somewhat nervously. "Um...you're looking pretty good."

It was torture hearing those words leave her mouth, but this was pretty torturous for Vicky all in. What exactly could she say to her? Only weeks before, Melanie would only have thought to talk to her to call her names or to say something hurtful. Things were also complicated by the fact that she really didn't know how to speak to her. It wasn't long ago that she had tried to end her own life.

"How are you feeling?" Mal asked her.

"Things are a little better." She told him. "I guess I wasn't expecting it to be easy. I guess at least it'll save me some money on razors, presuming my mom lets me near sharp objects in the foreseeable future."

Spike took the razors from him and looked around, dumping them in a nearby trash can. Mal just looked to her as he helped her with her books.

"Well, maybe things won't be so bad." He suggested. "I'm sure in time the others will find something else to talk about."

"Yeah, and this is me holding my breath." Melanie told him. Vicky took her hand.

"Well, just stick with us." Vicky told her. "Forget the others."

"You mean it?" Melanie asked her. Spike just nodded.

"You're a friend of Mal's." He answered. "I guess that makes you a friend of ours."

Melanie smiled as she went with them to her first class. Things still didn't look promising that the torment would end, but hearing the others offering to hang out with her, to be around her, she had a feeling that things would at least be a little more bearable.

In a cave, Dayu was back on her feet, and wandering around, checking out how much of her strength had returned. She was still badly burned, but thanks to Toxica's treatments, she was at least back to being able to act on her own. Octoroo arrived, causing her and Toxica to look at her.

"It's nice to see you back on your feet." He told her. "Maybe now, you can actually take an active part in things."

"I may be limited for a while, but I would do anything to get Dekker back." She told him. "Speaking of which, did he...?"

"Yeah, he got it." Octoroo told her. "I haven't seen him since though. I guess he and Urumasa just wanted a little alone time."

"So what are you doing here?" She asked him. Octoroo just came closer.

"Master Xandred's medicine isn't working as it should." He informed her. "His headaches are getting worse. He needs your music to soothe him."

"Without my Harmonium his headaches are making him miserable." She said with a little grin. "That's music to my ears. He should never have destroyed my Harmonium."

"Well as much as you enjoy seeing him suffer, you should really rethink this." Octoroo told her. "The Master's headaches will eventually cripple him. Without him, there will be nothing to stop Serrator."

Dayu paused as she considered this. He did have a point, until Serrator's plans were revealed; the only thing Serrator seemed to fear was direct conflict with Xandred. With him out of the way, there would be nothing in his way.

"Then we need to find Serrator and find out what he wants." Dayu told him. "Where was the last place you saw him?"

"He was headed for the mountains." Octoroo informed her. Dayu just nodded.

"Then we need to go there." She told him. She turned to Toxica and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I thank you for all your help. I could never have come this far without you."

"Wait...you're sending me away?" Toxica asked her. "But...what about...?"

"No one knows better than me how much pain it causes being parted from the one that holds our heart." She told her. "I cannot ask you to risk your life, risk not going back to Jindrax, for my fight."

Toxica just nodded.

"Go back to him. Enjoy your lives together." She reiterated. "Know that you will have my eternal gratitude."

"I will miss you." Toxica replied, before heading out the cave. Octoroo just watched her go.

"Come on." He instructed her. "The sooner we find Serrator the better.

In a secluded part of the city, Jayden got off the bike as Ji pulled to a halt. He had taken him out with the city, for some privacy. He had always told Jayden that sometimes a change of scenery was just what it took to clear the mind. He got off the bike, turning to face his Red Ranger.

"So, what was that about?" Ji asked him. "Were you trying to prove something?"

"I don't know." Jayden answered. "I just feel off. Like I've lost my edge. Do you think...do you think I've gotten weaker?"

"Is that what this is about?" Ji asked him. "You're still thinking about what Dekker said?"

"Just answer the question Ji." Jayden implored him.

"No, the team has made you stronger." Ji stated with authority.

"But it feels like I've relied on the team too much!" Jayden pressed on. "It feels like all of them have stepped up their game, like they've all gotten so much stronger, while I've...maybe Dekker's right. Maybe I have lost the edge."

"So, you wanted to prove Dekker wrong by crippling your own team?" Ji asked him sarcastically. "Jayden, you are so much stronger..."

"I don't feel like it." Jayden stated. "I just feel like, everyone's got all these expectations, and I'll never live up to them."

"You are a testament to your line. You have honoured all the Red Rangers who have come before you." Ji told him with a sigh. "Including your father."

"My father was..."

"Your father was my best friend, and one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen." Ji interrupted him. He then placed a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "But seeing the man you've grown into, I can say with all honesty, I believe that you have surpassed him. He would be proud, and I know because I am."

With that, he hugged Jayden tightly.

"Now, I believe you have some apologies to make." Ji stated. "And I suggest you make it good."

Over at the Shiba House, Mike was sitting on a stool as Mia was stitching up his eyebrow. Emily was watching with concern, and so he was doing all he could not to flinch each time Mia plunged the needle into his flesh.

"Alright, so what is eating Jayden?" Kevin asked impatiently. "I mean, I know we bruise each other up in training at times, but that...that was WAY over the line!"

"Dude, remember he has a lot on his mind." Antonio defended him.

"And the rest of us don't?" Mike asked. "Maybe if you had been the one to get your head cracked like a melon you'd think differently."

"He hasn't been himself for a while." Mia told them as she cut off the trailing end of the suture, finishing her work on Mike. She looked in the first aid kit for a band aid. "I think maybe this has something to do with what Dekker said."

She had been the one fighting with Jayden when Dekker showed up on Manalua, and so she had seen firsthand how he reacted to the battle. She looked around the room.

"I'm not happy with him either, I'm bruised all over, but maybe this is something we really need to let him talk about." She suggested. "We've all felt it, Serrator's up to something; we all know something big is coming. Now Dekker's back as well?"

"That doesn't give him the right to bounce us around like piñatas to prove a point and make himself feel better." Kevin snorted. "I say when he gets back, we all five him a piece of our mind. We tell him that it doesn't matter what he's going through, we're his team and he needs us!"

"I guess we can open a dialogue." Mia agreed. "But we need to think carefully. We can't let this turn into an attack."

"Well, if he hadn't handed me my butt, an attack on Jayden sounds pretty tempting." Mike told them. "But if the team is on the brink, then I guess I'm on board with the gentle approach."

"Right, I guess I'm in." Antonio sighed. He hated the fact that the team was planning to gang up on Jayden, knowing what he was going through. However, he could only hope that if he was with them, perhaps he could ensure that the team didn't take things too far. "So, shall I make us something to eat while we figure out what to do?"

"Anything but fish." Kevin responded as he followed him. Mia went with him after finishing putting the band aid on Mike, leaving Emily and Mike in the room together. Mike looked to Emily, who was chewing her lip a little nervously. He just smiled.

"It looks worse than it is." He assured her. "Head wounds bleed a lot. It's just a scratch really."

"I do know that." She told him, shuffling a little on her chair. "I was the human pinball growing up remember? I was just thinking."

"What?" Mike asked her.

"That eyebrow, it looks kind of...hot." She told him. Mike just sniggered.

"Seriously?" He asked her. "You like it when I get beat up?"

"No, but it does make you look kind of like a bad boy." She responded, coming over. She grabbed him and kissed him passionately. Mike looked to her in shock as she backed away from him.

"Wow." He said breathlessly. "Remind me to get beat up more often."

With that, he held Emily softly, guiding her down onto the couch, kissing her passionately. He didn't like the situation brewing with Jayden, but right now, he was thinking maybe he should thank him.


	25. Serrator's Power Play

**A/N:** Sorry for the hiatus folks, I had a pretty stressful personal situation that required my attention. I really hope to be back to form soon.

Serrator was wandering the cliffs purposefully, miles from anywhere. It was like he was looking for something, but something that he knew the location of, almost like he had hidden it. Given the fact that he never checked to see he was being followed, or for any signs of others, clearly it was something that he was confident no one would have disturbed.

This served Octoroo and Dayu well. It made following him a very simple matter. He wasn't even checking for them. He finally arrived by a large rock with a deep crevice in it, and knelt down, placing his weapon aside. He started to wave his arm and chant.

"What's he doing?" Dayu asked. "It looks like...he's performing some kind of ritual."

They both moved closer, trying to get a closer look to see what he was up to. They could hear him more clearly now, and see that the crevice was emitting a deep, red glow. It definitely looked like he had been hiding something there.

"Do you think it's some kind of weapon?" Octoroo asked. Dayu didn't answer, shifting around as he continued his ritual. Eventually, Serrator appeared to complete his ritual, and an item came out of the crevice into his hand. He held it up, and if it was possible, it seemed like his smile grew wider. It was some kind of silver gyroscope.

"It is time; my plan is all falling into place." He stated, looking at the device. "Xandred and his pathetic cronies have all served their purpose. With this, I'll find the exact spot, and unleash a power that will crack this world wide open!"

"He...he knows how to open the worlds?" Dayu asked. Octoroo shook his head.

"Don't you see, he will flood the Sanzu into the earth, but..."

"Doing it without Xandred's influence, the curse placed on him by the Red Ranger will still be in place!" He called out. "If he doesn't want to dry out in an instant, he'll be banished beneath the Sanzu Water forever!"

They both held still as Serrator just turned around.

"Of course I knew you were following me. You forget that I don't do anything without intention." He continued. "Your presence here is all part of things. I just need one more thing, and Dayu, you've been kind enough to bring it to me."

Dayu looked down to her Harmonium in horror. He wanted that for something, it had something to do with his plan...then she remembered, he said he needed a power to crack open the world. Her Harmonium was a powerful weapon, and clearly he had factored that into his plan when he created it all those years ago. She looked up in time to see him fire a blast at her. She barely had time to remove the blade from the headstock of the Harmonium before she was punted her over a cliff. Her Harmonium landed at Serrator's feet, at which he picked it up.

"I always knew you were a backstabbing traitor!" Octoroo squealed as he attacked him furiously. Serrator parried and dodged all of his attacks as Octoroo gave him everything he had, eventually though, Serrator slashed at him, sending him tumbling away.

Octoroo was livid. He wasn't much of a battlefield warrior; he was more of a tactician. While Serrator was just as devious, he always knew he was more powerful. He was overmatched and he knew it.

"When Master Xandred hears about this, he'll tear you apart!" Octoroo screamed as he disappeared into a Gap. Serrator just laughed as he turned and walked away, looking to the gyroscope.

"By the time he can muster the forces to do anything, it'll be too late." Serrator stated.

Dayu climbed back to the top of the cliff in time to see Serrator in the distance. Her injuries slowed her considerably, but she knew that she had no time to lose. Ignoring her agonising pain, and clutching her short-sword, she pursued him as quickly as she could.

Jayden and Antonio came back to the Shiba House, finding the others all sitting around waiting on him. They all looked to him expectantly. Jayden could already see what this was, it was an intervention. He looked to Ji, who just crossed his smiled. They had done this completely without his input. He knew that the team were far from happy with him, but it seemed they had organised themselves, and sorted out what they wanted to say as opposed to simply ambushing him with harsh words when he returned.

"Jayden, we wanted to talk to you, but we want you to know this is a safe place." Mia began. She seemed to have been chosen as the spokesperson. She approached him. "We're not happy, but we're your friends, and we know that you're going through a lot."

Kevin got up, and started to pace. He was the most livid and judgemental of the Rangers when it came to what Jayden had done. Mia's influence had curbed that though, and he seemed to have reigned it in somewhat.

"Jayden, between having to create the sealing symbol and Dekker popping up every other day, we know you have a lot on. We all agree, if it was any one of us, we would be flipping out too." Kevin stated as he looked to his leader. "But that doesn't give you the right to take it out on us. We're your vassals. We've all trained all our lives, long and hard, to come here and help you. More than that though, we're your friends. You may think that standing alone will make it easier, that you won't feel so badly about others getting hurt, but by hurting us, all you end up doing is hurting yourself."

"Look dude, I have more reason to be mad about this than the others." Mike said as he looked to him, holding Emily's hand softly. "But even though you split my head open, I can totally get past that. But only if you stop with all this lone warrior stuff."

"If you were meant to do this alone, then there wouldn't be any of the noble families." Emily reminded him. "Even Hirohito, the first Red Samurai had a team to help him."

This left Antonio as the only one left to speak. He looked to Homer and just smiled.

"You know I'd have been here if you wanted me or not." Antonio told him. "I'm in for the long haul either way. But I think you know I want you with us."

Jayden took a deep breath. Ji had already talked sense into him, but he knew that his friends had a right to air their feelings too. He had overstepped the mark with them, and it was a testament to how strong the bonds they had formed were that they were all willing to give him another chance.

"It's alright guys; Ji already talked to me and gave me some home truths." Jayden told them. "We're all stronger because of each other. There isn't one of us who hasn't come a long way, and I'm proud to fight with all of you. If you can forgive me..."

"Dude, seriously, you're forgiven." Mike told him, fist-bumping him. "But less of the 'proud' stuff. You're freaking me out."

Before anyone else could say anything, the Gap Sensor sounded. Checking the map, Ji located the source of the signal.

"Something big is coming." He told them. "This level of power, it can only be..."

"Serrator!" Emily stated. Ji just nodded.

"But the energy is rising fast." He continued.

"Come on." Jayden told them. "Let's show them all how strong this team really is!"

Deep within the cliffs around the city, Serrator came to a stop, checking the gyroscope. He saw it spinning wildly over a crevice, and felt himself becoming elated.

"Finally, I've found the perfect spot!" He announced. He put away the gyroscope and gripped the Harmonium in both hands. However, the weapon was blasted out of his hands. He looked around, seeing the Rangers standing, waiting with their weapons at the ready. Kevin was holding his Hydro Bow on him.

"I don't know what you're doing with Dayu's Harmonium, and I don't care." Jayden told him. "You're going down Serrator?"

"Oh, do you really think you're really going to stop me when I'm so close?" Serrator asked them. "Moogers!"

He sent the foot-soldiers against the Rangers, who charged to the attack. As Serrator watched them taking care of his Moogers, he turned back to his project. He looked for the Harmonium, finding it a little way off. Just as he was about to collect it though, he was cut down from behind. He turned around, seeing Dayu behind him, holding her Short Sword.

"You! You are the cause of all my misery!" She screamed at him. "You tricked me into cursing Dekker to wander the earth as your warrior! You turned me into this! You took everything from me!"

"And it's only taken you a couple of centuries to come for revenge." He taunted her, getting back to his feet. He started to attack her, and the two locked in a ferocious battle. Serrator's power was greater, but Dayu fought with a passion that was born out of every ounce of anger and pain she had felt for centuries.

Down at the foot of the cliff, the Rangers were still engaged by the Moogers, when Mia glanced up. She saw Dayu and Serrator locked in battle.

"Look, they're fighting each other!" She called out. Mia knew Dayu's story. She knew all about how she had loved Dekker with all of her heart, and how she had been tricked into a deal with Serrator to save his life, but which ultimately doomed both of them to their new existence. In that moment, she found herself with a feeling in her heart she would have thought was insane before, and calling out the words she never thought she would say. "You can do it! Go Dayu!"

"We need to finish these things off!" Jayden announced, pulling out the Black Box. He morphed into Super Samurai Mode, and called forth the Bullzooka. "Whatever she's stopping him doing, it can't be good! Let's give her all the help we can!"

"You heard the man!" Ji stated, slipping the Shark Disk onto his Spin word, and activating Shark Attack Mode. "Everything we have!"

Over in the Netherworld, Octoroo cowered as Xandred thrashed around in the most violent rage he had ever seen. Once he told him of Serrator's treachery, Xandred had started lashing out in a way that threatened to destroy his ship.

"He's been betraying us this whole time?" He raged.

"Sire, please, you must assemble forces..."

"NO!" He screamed. "I will go to the human realm and cut him to pieces myself!"

"No master, you can't!" Octoroo screamed at him. "The seal! If you go to the human realm, you'll dry out in an instant!"

"Serrator has made his final mistake!" Xandred announced, smashing Octoroo away from him, before disappearing.

Back at the site of the battle, Ji's Shark Sword attack weaved around him, taking out Moogers all around, while Jayden blasted others. Emily and the others took down the remaining Moogers, leaving them now free to turn their attention to Dayu and Serrator.

Dayu had done better than anyone could have expected. All her anguish, all her hate, centuries of vengeance had given her an insane strength, enough that she had already inflicted a number of grievous injuries on Serrator, but in the end, his power, combined with her already considerable injuries were simply too much for her to handle.

She was cut down, and fell to the ground, tumbling to the foot of the cliff lifelessly. Only the fact she did not explode or disappear confirmed that she was still alive. Serrator got up, clutching at his side, and moving gingerly as he looked to the Rangers and laughed.

"You're too late!" He announced. "You spent so much time worrying about Xandred, worrying about the big bad bogeyman that you failed to spot the real threat to your world right under your noses!"

He looked to the Yellow Ranger.

"You might want to call your sister now." He taunted her, stretching out a hand, at which the Harmonium flew into his hand. "Tell her she'll be rejoining her boyfriend really soon."

At that point though, there was a crack of thunder, and everyone froze. Even Serrator stood stock still as he saw this. Thick, dark clouds started to form, joining together, but it became so much more than that. Soon, the entire sky was reduced to darkness.

"What gives?" Mike asked. "It's like an eclipse!"

"It can't be!" Serrator stated. The ground started to shake, and the very air itself started to grow warm, uncomfortable, and a very real sense of dread descended across the battlefield. They could hear a rumbling growl, and the shaking became worse.

The Rangers all fell silent, and looked around each other. Every single one of them felt their hearts sinking, and filling with horror as the very world itself seemed to react in fear at what was coming. From the moment they were old enough to hear it, their parents had all told them of the final battle. The last battle, when Xandred had gone to the Shiba House.

Kevin could recall his dad drinking, the only time he had ever seen him do so. His father was so dedicated to his training, he was practically teetotal, but when he talked about that battle, he steadied his nerves, and his demeanour changed. Instead of the stoic, confident man he knew him to be, his father only spoke of dread of that day. It was the day all of them very nearly lost everything.

Mike's dad had always terrified him with stories of that battle. It was kind of like his bogeyman. Whenever Mike didn't feel like training, or he felt he wasn't trying hard enough, he would show him his scars, and remind him of that battle. His torso and back carried many scars, as would be expected of anyone facing battle on a daily basis for several years, but this one in particular was the one that he always showed him. The long, diagonal scar running from his left shoulder, to his right hip, which seemed to be a cut, but extend with burn marks beyond that, covering a significant proportion of the front of his chest. By the looks of it, by all rights, the attack should have cut him clean in two. It was the one and only attack Xandred had landed.

Emily's mother had also warned her of her experience in the battle. While her scarring was not as significant, she too had told her girls of his power, and of the terror she felt whenever she thought about her girls needing to finish what their ancestors, what she had started. It had been in her nightmares for years, and while Emily was too young to remember at the time, Serena had told her that she could remember her mother waking up screaming on many nights after she came home.

Mia's mother had another story, but one that terrified her no less. Her mother had to rely on sensei's to teach her Martial Arts, teaching her only the history and teaching her to harness her family's Symbol Power. For as long as she had known her, Mia's mother had been confined to a wheelchair. She had confronted Xandred, and had been on the receiving end of one of her attacks. That day was the last time she would ever walk. Mia gulped and clutched her Spin Sword tightly to think of the fact that he was coming.

Jayden and Ji, however, had a shared memory of that day, one that came back to both of them, seizing both their hearts with anguish and rage. That was the day Jayden's father handed him the Lion Zord, and ran out to do battle. The last time either of them saw him alive.

"Day becomes night as the Master Returns!" They heard a deep, rumbling voice growl as dark rocks rolled into the centre of the valley, forming up into a kind of sinister obelisk. They all clutched their weapons tightly as it started to glow red. They all recognised the voice, they had heard it once before when Xandred entranced Moogers to attack Jayden, but now it was so much louder, so much more chilling...so much more terrifying.

"It can't be!" Mike called out. "The seal..."

"The seal isn't perfect." Jayden told them as they all clutched their weapons closely, preparing for the fight of their lives!


	26. The Power of the Master

The sky had darkened, and the ground rumbled all the way across Panorama City. Between California's predisposition towards earthquakes, and the constant Nighlock attacks, tremors were nothing new to most people, but this was so much more that everyone in the city could tell something big was happening. As the sky turned black though, there was not one person in town wasn't terrified.

Over at his house in the woods, Kieran was chopping wood, when the sky turned black. He looked up, and his heart beat faster. He had seen this once before. Even though he had not been involved in the battle, his family being in a support role to the Noble Families, he remembered the last time Xandred had invaded the land of the living. He pulled out his cell phone and dialled the Shiba House. There was no answer. He tried again, but again found he got no answer.

"Shit, that can't be good." He muttered. He put down his axe, and ran into the house. Opening an ottoman he had in the corner, and throwing open a dust-covered blanket, he grabbed the family katana. He ran to his jeep, and put it in the back, while he gunned the engine, heading for the Shiba House. He could only hope he was wrong, but if this was happening, he wanted to be there to help in whatever way he could.

Over at Central High School, the kids couldn't really do much other than treat it as an earthquake and duck and cover. Clambering under their desks, Vicky screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to shut it all out. She hated this, the whole scene was terrifying. Earthquakes were bad enough, but the sky, combined with something of an odd aura in the air, completely petrified her, freezing her to the spot. She hoped that she could shut it out, that she could will it to not be happening.

Under another desk, Mal had grabbed Melanie, keeping her as calm as he could. She was already not having a great time since coming back to the school, and she could do with as little extra stress as possible. He noticed Vicky, and could see that she was freaking out badly.

"Spike!" He called across. He nodded his head in Vicky's direction, at which Spike scrambled over, despite the teachers' protests that he stay in cover.

Vicky felt warm arms wrapping around her, and suddenly, even though it was still happening, even though she still couldn't will herself to open her eyes, she felt a little stronger, a little safer. It felt good.

At the site of the battle though, the Rangers were still frozen to the spot, awaiting what was to come. Even Serrator couldn't move to complete his plan as he stood, dumbfounded by this move. The dark stone obelisk cracked open, and the red glow became brighter, before exploding, showering rocks in all directions. There, standing where it had once been, was Master Xandred.

The Rangers didn't even flinch as the rocks flew past them, unable to believe what they had seen. Xandred had made the ultimate in unexpected moves, coming to the human realm. He stood before them, and as soon as he arrived, he started to dry out, a large section on the left side of his chest turning grey and cracking up.

"Serrator!" He screamed, powering up his blade. He launched a power blast in Serrator's direction, knocking him several feet into a boulder, smashing into it. He dropped the Harmonium under the force of his blast. "No one deceives me and lives! I will destroy you!"

Serrator was already badly injured from his battle, and knew that staying to battle Xandred, even weakening as he dried out, was folly. Seeing that his opportunity had passed, he took to his heal and bounded away as quickly as he could. Mike pointed to Xandred, whose entire right arm was also grey and cracking. His right leg started to go the same way.

"Guys, do you see that?" Mike called out. "He's drying out! I've never seen any Nighlock dry out that quickly!"

"Do you realize what this means?" Kevin asked. "We don't need to beat him! We only need to keep him here long enough and he'll destroy himself!"

Xandred turned slowly towards them, as though only just noticing them. He smiled as he saw them.

"Red Ranger, I owe your family a great deal!" He growled. He broke into a run towards them, at which the Rangers brought up their weapons, letting out a battle cry as they headed towards him. Mike was the first to get to him, but as he brought up his Spin Sword, Xandred moved so quickly, he never even saw it coming. He never saw anything, everything went black.

Kieran arrived at the Shiba House, finding that it was empty, but the map was open, and the energy readings were going insane. He called it up, and tried to make sense of it all. He punched in a few commands, but he couldn't fathom how it actually worked.

"Come on guys, what's going on?" He asked. Just then, he finally managed to pick up a live feed. His mouth opened wide in horror as he saw him. "Oh god, no!"

Mia was hacked down harshly by Xandred as he grabbed Emily around the throat.

Ji unleashed his attack with the Shark Sabre, but Xandred barely flinched as it struck home. Continuing to strangle Emily, causing her to fade fast, and de-morph, he sent a power wave his way that blasted Ji into the cliff, also taking him out the fight.

Jayden got up from where he had been thrown earlier, seeing to his panic that Kevin and Antonio were the only ones left in the fight. Both of Xandred's legs and most of the left side of his chest and left arm had now dried out, but he was still taking care of them. He took Kevin down with his katana, before grabbing Antonio, and throwing him into the cliff so hard that he ended up de-morphing and lying, barely moving.

Jayden unleashed a volley with the Bullzooka, but it didn't seem to faze him much at all. Jayden abandoned it, reverting to his Spin Sword, launching to the attack with everything he had.

He had fought Xandred once before, albeit briefly, when Kenzo had stolen Urumasa. He hadn't had much of a chance to gauge his strength, Xandred was forced to flee too early, but now he had his chance.

His father, his father had fallen to Xandred when he was only six years old. Now, Jayden had a chance to finish what he started, to end his threat for good.

He managed to score a couple of shots, chipping pieces of the drying out flesh from Xandred as the fight continued. Unfortunately, Xandred was even deadlier than the legends made him out to be. Xandred finally scored a few more blows, one of which snapped Jayden's Spin Sword clean in two, before sending him spiralling to the ground, powering down. Jayden struggled in pain, looking up at Xandred. He was now mostly dried up, but even in this state, he was so powerful, he had taken out his whole team.

"Your father did this to me!" He growled. "Now I get revenge!"

Jayden was blasted, without even the protection of the Ranger suit, and ended up lying, charred, bleeding and unconscious several feet away. Xandred finally turned his attention to Dayu, who was only just recovering. He held up a hand, at which the Harmonium flew to his hand. He went over to her, grabbed her, and thrust the Harmonium into her hands.

"You cannot find your loved one like this." He told her. "I cannot defeat Serrator like this. Come with me, where we may both regain the strength we need."

Dayu reluctantly agreed. The battle had taken a lot out of everyone involved, and she had no choice but to follow him. With that, they both disappeared, leaving the broken, defeated forms of the Rangers behind. As soon as he disappeared, the sky returned to normal.

Back at the Shiba House, Kieran saw the end of the battle, and couldn't believe what he had witnessed. The Rangers were all down. Running to his jeep, he leapt in, and gunned the engine, heading out for the cliffs.

At Central High School, the kids were starting to slowly come out of hiding under their desks.

They were all slowly trying to gather their bearings, while the teachers tried to get things back under control. Vicky was still curled up on a ball on the floor though, unable to bring herself to open her eyes.

"Vicky." She heard a soft, comforting voice. "Vicky, it's alright, it's safe."

She felt the arms around her shaking her, and squeezing her gently. She couldn't help smiling. She felt herself growing a little warm and her heart swelled. She felt safe in his arms. She loved the feeling, she was protected. Cody was...

As she opened her eyes, and looked aside, she realised it was Spike. Of course it was Spike, they were at school. Cody went to Western; there was no way that he was there with her. He would have been at his own school when this whole thing started.

"Um Spike." She managed to finally say as her stomach gave a sickening lurch.

"It's over." He told her with a smile. "We're all fine."

He helped her up, steadying her as she seemed to find it hard to stand up straight. She rested against a desk as Spike looked to her.

"Are you...are you alright?" He asked her. Vicky didn't know how to answer that. Her heart was still going a hundred miles an hour, and she still felt a tingle from where he had held her, but there was something else going on too. Now, her gut was twisting up, and giving her a sense of discomfort. She knew that she had felt something for Spike before, but she was with Cody. At least...she kind of was. They weren't really going out so much, but they had agreed to go to the dance together. It was going to be their first date.

"Um...I guess I'm just a little shaken." She told him. "I'll...I'll be fine."

Spike left her reluctantly, as he went to see that Mal and Melanie were alright. Jimmy burst into the room, and ran over, hugging his sister.

"Vicky, are you alright?" He asked her. "That was all so freaky! I've never seen anything like that!"

"Me either." She answered a little weakly. She still couldn't help what she was feeling. She knew that she shouldn't have felt what she did when Spike held her. It should be Cody that made her feel that way. Cody was...damn it, why was it she couldn't actually think about how Cody made her feel? Why was it so hard to just figure out?

"Attention students, this is your principal speaking." The announce system burst into life. "You are all to report immediately to your homes. Classes are cancelled for the rest of the day. All staff, report to the faculty lounge for an immediate meeting."

"I guess they figured there wouldn't be much work done today." Mal suggested. "I guess we all go home."

"Alright then." Mal stated. "You don't need to tell me twice."

"Um...would you mind walking me?" Melanie asked him. "I'm still a little shaky."

"I guess." Mal said with a shrug. "It is on the way."

With that, they left. Jimmy looked to Spike.

"How about you?" He asked. "Want to come with us?"

Spike's cell phone interrupted them though. As he answered it, he shook his head.

"Alright Uncle Bulk." He stated. "I'll be there."

He hung up and looked to them.

"Uncle Bulk was called by the school. He's coming to pick me up." He told them. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow I guess."

"See you." Cody reiterated as he and his sister left. Spike watched them go, and couldn't help the feeling that Vicky was still a little quiet. Still, he knew she had been afraid, and she was going home to her family. He figured that she would be alright. With that, he just gathered up his things and headed out to the front to wait on his uncle.

Kieran arrived at the battle site, skidding to a halt. He leapt out of his jeep, running over to where the Rangers were only just starting to come around. Ji was already checking on Jayden, ignoring his own injuries. Seeing Kieran, he was grateful that their friend had come to check on them.

"Kieran!" He called out, waving him over. Kieran just came to Jayden's side, seeing what Ji was so worried about. "He's barely breathing!"

"What happened?" Mike groaned. "Did anyone see that buffalo stampede coming?"

"Xandred..." Kevin muttered. "He totally stomped us! He barely broke a sweat!"

"Kevin, we can't worry about that right now!" Mia told him as she sprinted over to where Ji and Kieran had Jayden.

"Can't worry?" Kevin asked incredulously as he got to his feet. "What do you...JAYDEN!"

As soon as he saw the others gathered around, he ran to help. Ji just looked to them, his eyes full of concern for his son.

"We have to help him!" He told them.

"Kieran, we have equipment at the house." Mia told him. "We need to get him there."

"I'll get the SUV." Kevin told them as Ji and Kieran grabbed Jayden and picked him up. They loaded him into the back of Kieran's jeep and sped off for the house. The others could only wait on Kevin getting back with the SUV, but they were all thinking the same thing. They had no idea what the future held for any of them, but they knew one thing. None of them wanted to face Xandred again.

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, Xandred was feeling the full effects of his decision to go to the human realm. The Red Ranger's seal caused him to dry out quickly. By the time he got back, he was almost completely dried out. His pain was immense, and even ladling Sanzu water over him wasn't working quickly enough. In the end, Dayu and Octoroo had no choice but to tip him overboard. Only soaking him in the river would revive him completely.

They tipped him over the side of his junk, and watched him slowly sink to the bottom of the river. They were both also carrying injuries from their battles, but the effects of the Sanzu were already healing them.

"Master Xandred paid a heavy price for that battle." Octoroo commented. "Who knows how long he's going to have to be down there?"

"Now without him, there's nothing to stop Serrator." Dayu reminded him. "We need..."

"You need to remember that." Serrator stated as he arrived on the deck. Both Dayu and Octoroo rounded on him, but he just laughed. "You are no match for me now, and you know it. I may have lost this opportunity, but as usual, even when I am inconvenienced, I find a way to come out better off than I began. With Xandred in Limbo, there is no one in my way!"

"You back-stabbing..."

"Careful what you say Octoroo. As of this moment, only my generosity is keeping you alive." He warned him. He then looked to Dayu. "Glad to see you brought your Harmonium with you. Now, I only need one thing. All I need is Dekker. Everything is falling into place."

At the Shiba House, the other Rangers arrived, and headed straight through to Jayden and Antonio's room, finding Ji tending to him, having set up what almost seemed like a miniature hospital. He was understandably distraught. As he was trying to prepare a syringe, he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. Mia grabbed his wrist, and took it from him gently. She knew first aid, but nowhere near Ji's level. However, she knew he was in no state to administer it himself.

"Just show me what to do." She whispered.

"The others..."

"We're sore, but we'll be fine for now." Emily told him. "First rule of triage, deal with the most serious cases first."

The others all looked around at her. She just shrugged.

"I spent half my childhood in a hospital remember?" She reminded them. "You pick up a few things."

"Draw three cc's." Ji sighed. Mia did as she was told, holding up the needle. "Tap it until there are no bubbles."

She continued to do as she was told, while the others all watched on hopefully. Ji exposed Jayden's elbow, and placed his finger on it.

"Just here." He told her. "Slide it in gently, then inject."

Mia was nervous, she had never administered medication by injection, but as she did so, Ji was watching her. She pulled the needle clear, and mopped the area with a cotton ball. Ji just smiled. "Thank you."

"How is he?" Kevin asked.

"It's too early to tell." Ji told them. "He isn't in a good way. His vitals are weak. His injuries are extensive..."

His voice was cracking as he told them. Emily put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. They all knew how much Ji cared for Jayden. Seeing him like this, Emily could only think of the way her parents looked when they were watching Serena getting worse.

"He's stable for now." Mia told them. "We should deal with the rest of you. Ji, you're next."

"Me?" He asked. "But..."

She just placed a hand on his side, and he jerked painfully.

"I saw the way you were moving earlier." She told him. "Those ribs might be broken."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Emily assured him. "Please, you're no good to him if you're hurt."

"Thank you." He told her. With that, he left with Mia, so she could check on him. The others all had some experience with first aid, and despite their pain, had relatively minor injuries by comparison. They all went to get checked out. Mike paused for a second, grabbing Emily's hand.

"I know it can't be easy seeing him this way." He told her. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "Go and get checked out. I can go once you're done."

As he left, Emily looked to Jayden sadly, seeing him lying lifelessly on the bed. She wanted to be there for him, and she wished there was more that she could do. Sadness overwhelmed her, and tears started to run down her face. She had only seen two people that looked like this before. One was Serena when she was at her weakest, when doctors no longer even made estimates how long she had left. The other was Stephen, as he lay on their couch, waiting for some of Ji's friends to come and take his body away. She could only hold his hand tightly, and sat quietly with him, praying for a miracle.


	27. Clawing Back

On the farm, Serena was working hard with her mother, and her mysterious new trainer. She was now being pushed far beyond any limits she had ever conceived. Swords clashed in a furious display as both her mother and Jindrax put her through her paces.

She had quickly found out that his nickname of "the Master of Blades" was not simply a matter of arrogance. He was easily as strong as any Nighlock she had seen the Rangers battle. Having to tackle both of them at once with live blades was a terrifying, and dangerous exercise, but one that had honed her into a condition and skill she couldn't believe, and returning her to a confidence she had long since forgotten she had in her, that had been taken from her.

She could feel the breeze from blades passing mere millimetres from her body as she avoided attacks, feeling no fear of misjudgement. Her blade sent theirs aside and responded with attacks that sent them back. As Jindrax swung a beheading stroke, she pulled down only just low enough to allow it to pass over her, but close enough she could hear the whistle of the blade through the air, and feel it take some of her hair.

She lashed out behind her with a hard kick as her mother attacked, winding her, before disarming her with a sharp twist of her wrist, sending her mother tumbling into the bales of hay in the corner.

As Jindrax came for her again, she snatched up her mother's sword in her left hand, into a back-handed grip and spinning, clashing with his own sword several times as he recoiled to prevent ending up being sliced apart. She finally hooked up his sword, and with a sharp motion, she sent his sword spinning high into the air.

Kicking his leg away and sending him to a knee, she drove her mother's sword diagonally across the back of his neck. She caught his, and drove it the other way, capturing his head. She spun away, falling to a knee, and brought Kasamune under his throat, completing the triangle of blades, leaving him under no false impressions he was defeated. Breathlessly, she just waited for him to hold up a hand to indicate his surrender.

"Could you help me?" Jindrax asked her mother as she came back over. She took away the other two swords, leaving Serena to sheath Kasamune once more. He smiled at her.

"Your form is easily one of the best I've ever seen." He told her confidently. "You're easily ready for Dekker."

"But Serrator..."

"No, Serrator is not your main concern." He told her with a sigh. He took Stephen's Power Disk, and handed it to her. "Your main concern is Dekker."

Before she could answer though, the door to the barn opened, and an Asian Woman entered.

"Toxica?" He asked her.

"Dayu sent me away." She informed him. "Serrator made a big move, she seemed to think that he was close to whatever he's planning with Dekker."

"Wait, who are you?" Serena's mother asked her.

"Serrator's got some plan involving Dekker?" Serena asked her. Toxica just nodded.

"She said he's always been part of some huge scheme he's had cooked up. She said he cursed the two of them in the first place as part of some huge scheme to take both worlds for himself." She continued as she looked to Serena. "She sent me away because she...well...she didn't sound like she intended to come back."

"No, that's not why she sent you." Serena sighed, searching her heart. Through all of this, through all of her pain, and all of her grief and anger, there was one thing that seemed to come through as she heard this. She remembered learning about Dekker and Dayu's story in the Tengen Gate. She remembered seeing her anguish when she thought Dekker was dying. Something hit her, and it hit her in a place that she had frozen out in her quest for vengeance. Dayu was just like her.

She had lost the man she loved, the only difference was, that no matter how remote, she still had a chance to get him back. She had pursued that chance without losing hope for centuries, clutching at any opportunity to keep him alive, even if it was a cursed life, just so she could continue her quest to find a way to return him to her. She took insane chances, and risked her own destruction several times, all for a hope that frankly was so slight, it was virtually non-existent. It was the same passion with which Serena pursued her revenge on Serrator, and it was the same passions he knew that she would pursue any chance to see Stephen again, even if it was only for a second. She took a deep breath.

"She wanted you to tell me." Serena told them, looking to the Power Disk. "It's time I went back."

"But Serena..."

"No mom, don't you get it?" Serena asked. "The pieces all fit! If I end Dekker's curse, if I help him and take him away, Serrator's plan will never succeed!"

"But Serena..!"

"Serrator hurt me, but that's not why I'm doing this." She told her. "Dayu's suffered just like me, but her pain's lasted for centuries!"

"Serena...!"

"If someone could do something like this for me, would you not want them to?" Serena asked her. "All I've ever heard is that the Blessed Warrior is all about compassion, that Kasamune was created to be the opposite of Urumasa. What could be more compassionate than releasing two people in pain from their torment?"

Her mother just breathed a sigh and nodded. All her daughter had said made sense. She just looked back to her, with a few tears in her eyes.

"My daughter, the Blessed Warrior," she declared, brushing some of Serena's hair out of her eyes, "you have no idea how proud I am of you."

"Well, I guess we better get going." Jindrax stated. "I think we may have outstayed our welcome."

They quietly left the barn, and went on their way to continue their journey together. Serena's mother put her arm around her and they turned towards the house.

"I'll help you pack." She told her.

"Thanks mom." Serena answered. "For everything."

Back at the Shiba House, Ji and Antonio were keeping a constant bedside vigil on Jayden. The whole house was on something of a strange timetable, they all trained when they could, and ate whenever they felt like it, but on the whole everyone was just kind of...drifting. The atmosphere was definitely tense, and more than a little silent. No one wanted to say it, but it was clear that there was one consistent feeling in the house. Everyone was scared.

This was, to date, the single most convincing defeat they had ever suffered. Their battle with Xandred had been disastrous. They called Super Mode, the Bullzooka, the Shark Mode...they had pretty well thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him, and they were so desperate that if they had one to hand, they'd have tried it. Yet, even drying out, even with his power dropping so fast, he had to only have barely enough to keep him in existence, he still defeated each of them in turn as though they were nothing.

Mike came into the main room from the dojo, where he had been working out, figuring out his limits with his injuries to find Emily finishing a phone call.

"How is he?" Mike asked. He didn't need to specify that he meant Jayden. She just shook her head.

"There's no change." She told him. "I was just calling Kieran to tell him I need him to cover for my training session."

"I guess playing teacher can wait." He replied, sitting with her and putting his arm around her. Emily's wounds were relatively minor, only really cut and bruises, but he could still see that she was troubled. "So, want to tell me about it?"

"It's Jayden." She said in a voice so quiet that it barely carried. "I can't...I can't help feeling..."

"This is the d-word thing again isn't it?" He asked her. Emily just nodded. He had talked to her a lot about it after Stephen was killed. She had only ever known one person that had died, and it had happened only a few feet in front of her. The day Stephen was killed had greatly shaken her.

"When I looked at Jayden lying there, with all those machines and tubes, he looked so much like Serena." She told him. "What if...?"

"Emily, we can't think like that." Mike interrupted her. "We know Jayden. He's the strongest..."

"What does that matter?" Emily asked him. "Serena was strong, but she got sick. If it wasn't for Kevin and the Swordfish disk, she'd probably not be alive today!"

"Emily..."

"What about Stephen?" She asked him. "He was gone, just like that!"

"Emily..."

"Life is fragile Mike, no one knows that more than me!" She screamed at him. "The way Xandred beat us down, he barely even broke a sweat!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Mike asked her. "He took me down in one hit! I didn't even see the attack that took me out!"

"He was drying out so fast, he maybe had two minutes, and he took us all down!" Emily reminded him. By now, Kevin and Mia had heard her outburst and had come in.

"Emily..."

"We threw everything at him!" Emily screamed at Kevin. "All our skill, all our power, every weapon we had, and even three quarters of the way to becoming a giant raisin he barely even noticed!"

"Emily, is that what this is about?" Mia asked her. "You're scared?"

"Of course I'm scared!" She called out as tears started to run down her face. "Everything we've done, all that training, all that symbol power, everything we have and he barely even noticed!"

They all just stared at her. She had only said what they were all thinking, what they were all feeling, but something had just broken the tension.

"He could have killed us all!" She sobbed. "If he wanted, he could come back and take all of us out, and there's nothing we can do about..."

"That is ENOUGH!" Ji roared as he came into the room. He was clutching his ribs, and moving a little slowly. They were only bruised fortunately, but he was still impaired. He looked over them all. "Do you think this is what Jayden needs? Do you really think this is going to help him?"

"What's the point?" Emily asked him. "What does it matter if..."

"If that is what you truly believe, then go!" He barked, shocking all of them. Antonio was by his side, and even he was stunned. Ji's eyes were full of anger by now. "I'm serious, go!"

Emily just shrunk a little into herself. None of them had ever seen him like this. Ji came into the room, looking around them all judgementally.

"Yes, we were defeated, and yes, he could have killed us all." He continued. "However, we can either stand around and whine like children, or we can ensure that he finds out that leaving us alive to come back is his greatest mistake!"

They all just looked to him nervously.

"Mentor, we're all just..." Kevin began, trying not to arouse his anger any further. "We're all just really scared."

"So am I." Ji told them. "But we all knew what this was when we agreed to take up the fight."

He looked to each and every one of them.

"Although you were born into your training, none of you were commanded to come here. None of you were made to fight." He continued. He looked to Emily, who looked completely distraught by now. He approached her, and held up her face, forcing her to look at him. "Do you remember what Jayden said to you on that first day?"

"I..."

"Do you remember?" Ji asked again.

"Mentor, can't you see...?"

"I'm not speaking to you Mike!" He barked. "Do you REMEMBER?"

"D...d...do not accept..." She began to stammer. "Do not accept just because you were trained to do so. Accept only if you're ready to fight as Samurai Rangers...and see this to the end."

He sighed and patted her on the shoulder. He knew she was just scared and upset. He wanted to be more gentle about it, but right now, he had to make sure they remembered the hard truth, that this wasn't over, and until it was, they still had a chance, one they could not afford to throw away because of fear.

"None of you are victims. All of you were given the choice, and you all decided on your own to come here." He reminded them. "Now, for today, perhaps it would be best if you shared your fears. You are, as always, stronger together. Tomorrow, we will resume training."

"What about Jayden?" Kevin asked as Ji headed back towards Jayden's room. He just sighed.

"Jayden will rejoin us when he can." He told them. With that, he left them all to go back to Jayden. They all crowded around Emily as she sniffed and dried her tears.

"I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be." Mike told her. He saw the way they were all crowding around. "I think maybe it needed to be said. We needed it out in the open."

"We're all scared, we have been before." Kevin agreed. "I guess we just have to use that to make us stronger."

In another part of town, Melanie was at her locker with Mal when she got a text message. She checked it out and just sighed.

"What is it?" He asked her. "Is it another...?"

"No, most of that has died down." Melanie told him. "It's just...it's nothing, don't worry about it."

"What is it?" He asked her again. Melanie just shook her head.

"It's stupid." She assured him. "Just forget it."

"Melanie..."

"Before...you know...my dad." She began to explain. "I was making my arrangements for the dance. I had a dress on lay-away while I paid for it. That was just the store telling me that the lay-away period's expired."

"Really?" He asked her. Melanie just smiled weakly.

"It's not like I can afford anything like that anymore." She told him. "It's stupid anyway. I'm probably not even going. All the other kids would just be staring..."

"Melanie, that dance is, it marks the end of the year." He told her.

"Yeah, some year." Melanie grumbled. "Look, it doesn't matter. Just...forget about it."

With that, she left to go to her next class. Mal could understand her reluctance to go. Usually the dance was something of an elitist occasion, where the year's 'royalty' were celebrated, while all the other kids just kind of floated around to make them look good. Not so long ago, Melanie was planning how to make the dance her own crowning moment, but in no time at all, her world had all but crashed down around her ears.

"Hey Mal, the bell's gone." Jimmy reminded him. Mal just nodded.

"Yeah, thanks Jimmy." He told him, before heading off. There were only a couple of weeks left in the school year, and the dance was not far off. Thinking about it, maybe giving it a miss would be a good thing, but something else troubled him. Pretty much everyone in the year would be going. Even he was intending to go. If she didn't, she would probably be one of the few who didn't. It sounded like something that would just remind her how lonely she was now that most of her 'friends' now pretended they didn't even know her.

"Mal!" Spike called out. "Move it or you'll get a tardy slip!"

"Sorry Spike." He replied, starting to make his way to class. "I was just thinking about something."


	28. The Comeback Trail

Ji made his way towards Brenda's place, but it was taking a lot longer than normal. He had tried riding his bike, but with the injury to his ribs, he couldn't even make it out the yard before he ended up giving up on that idea. Between the time taken to walk into town, and the theoretical-at-best public transport timetables, he had taken a lot more time to get there than he intended.

He hated leaving Jayden, but right now, he knew that the others would care for him. He hadn't seen Brenda in a couple of days, and was starting to become concerned for her. Even though he had called and explained his absence, he knew her condition would make it hard for her to be alone for too long.

As he got to her door and knocked, she opened the door after checking the peep hole he had installed for her peace of mind. She smiled to see him and hugged him tightly, inadvertently aggravating his ribs. He let out a slight hiss, but put a brave face on it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there." He told her sincerely as he kissed her. "How was the surgery?"

She had been through a minor cosmetic procedure to tidy up and conceal the scarring left behind by the shooting. Her therapist had figured out that the scarring was a reminder of the incident that was seriously affecting her psychological recovery, and had recommended she see about it. Since it was a minor procedure, she didn't really need to stay in the clinic, and so she had been allowed to go home once they were satisfied there was no risk of secondary infection.

"The surgeon said he's really happy with the results." Brenda told him with a smile. "It'll be a couple of days until he can take off the dressings and let me see, but so far I'm feeling alright."

She took him inside and gestured to the couch for him to sit down. She noticed that he hissed again as he did.

"What about the therapist?" He asked her. He knew that her therapist had said she would visit the clinic once she was out of surgery for her session.

"She seems happy with my progress." Brenda continued. "She actually talked about me going back to work once this heals up."

"How would you feel about that?" He asked her.

"Nervous." She admitted honestly as she took a deep breath. "My boss said they'd be happy for me to do a couple of half-days a week until I was ready to come back full time."

"Well, that's great news." He told her, smiling weakly. "I am sure you will be fine."

She knew about the battle, and could tell that Ji was trying to hide it from her. He had been very protective since her attack, telling her as little as possible about the bad side of the Ranger battles. He wanted to ensure she didn't have any more stress than was necessary while she recovered from her trauma, but the fact was he couldn't keep her from everything. She still had a television, which meant she still got the news.

"I saw the news footage of that last battle." She told him. "It looked pretty brutal."

"It was certainly not one of the better outings." He assured her.

"That new guy, the big red one..."

As her words tailed off, she could see that Ji was becoming upset. He had done so much for her; the last thing she wanted was to see him hurting. She took his hand softly.

"It was bad wasn't it?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"We were beaten." He informed her. "We were beaten very badly. It is a miracle none of us were killed."

"How are the others?" She asked him.

"They're all very shaken up." He informed her. "Jayden..."

As he started to tear up, she could see that it was obviously serious. She pulled him closer, holding him tightly. She knew how much Jayden meant to him. She had heard the way he talked about him and knew he considered Jayden to be a son to him. It was only natural to see how much it hurt him that Jayden was injured.

"He'll be fine." She said reassuringly. "I might not know much about this whole thing, but I know Jayden and he's strong. He'll make it through this."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." Ji told her. "He was everything to me for so long."

"Is it really that bad?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"It's been two days, and he still hasn't regained consciousness." He informed her. "Every hour that passes makes it less likely he will."

"You can't think like this." She whispered. "Jayden needs you to be strong."

She pulled him in closer, kissing him softly.

"You don't have to be strong with me." She assured him.

"It's so hard." Ji admitted. "The others need me..."

"And you'll be there for them." Brenda assured him. "But when you're with me, take that as the time you have someone to lean on."

Ji just kissed her passionately, before looking her in the face. She was never more beautiful to him than in that moment.

"I don't know what I could have done to deserve you." He told her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She replied, holding him in her arms. "I love you too."

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers had been training all morning. Although they really didn't feel much like it, they had taken Ji's stern words to heart, and had gone full-tilt. Despite everything, they all had to admit, it really did make them all feel quite a bit better when they were done. Feeling like they were doing something useful, however little it meant, actually felt like they might progress to the level they would need to.

Mia took Kevin aside to bore him with wedding magazines. She had opted for the "cheer herself up" approach, and had decided to talk with him about all the ideas they could come up with for what they might want for their wedding. Kevin was completely bored out of his mind within seconds, but he just humoured her and went with it. As a distraction from the battle, it was not a particularly bad one.

Mike had taken Emily out to Rainbow's End funfair, opting for the "treat themselves" way of lifting their mood. It had been a long time since they had a day out, and it had been even longer since they had gone to the funfair. Emily was only too happy for something to get her mind off everything, and the very thought of a happy Emily and more ice-cream than the human body was ever meant to consume was enough to get Mike into high spirits.

That left Antonio to keep an eye on Jayden. He had pretty much volunteered for the duty anyway, not being in a mood to do anything else, and with Ji away tending to Brenda, he wanted to be there to keep the bedside vigil.

He was sitting beside him, reading to him. He had heard that people in comas could hear what people were saying, and that it could help them to recover. He felt like he had been talking for days, and had long since exhausted everything he could think of, so he had moved onto reading to him from whatever he could find. Two comics and a glossy celebrity magazine later, he had finally moved onto the newspaper. He skipped the front couple of pages, since they were dedicated to Panorama City's "Dark Day". He didn't think that reading about that would particularly encourage Jayden to come back to him.

"So this woman's cat can ride a skateboard apparently." He told him, reading one of the fluffier articles. "God, they put anything in newspapers these days."

He waited, almost like he was waiting for Jayden to reply. He just sighed and went back to the newspaper. If he was awake, he knew that Jayden would probably be no more talkative. Although he loved him with all his heart, the one thing he hated about Jayden was that when he felt like he had let others down, he always drew into himself. He was always going off by himself. The coma almost seemed like the perfect example. In there, Jayden didn't have to face the others.

"Well, the crooks are still active." Antonio told him. He then sniggered. "But they aren't getting any smarter. You won't believe this. Some guy tried to rob a bank, only to get caught because...get this...he took a shine to one of the tellers."

He read the article, chuckling a little.

"It says here, he started chatting her up while his accomplices filled bags with the money. Before they left, he gave her his phone number!" He concluded the story as he continued to laugh, trying to imagine it. "God, it makes you wish all scumbags were that thick."

He heard a small mumble, and looked around. He could see Jayden starting to twitch slightly, and was immediately by his side.

"Jayden?" He asked him. "Jayden!"

The Red Ranger's eyes started to open. Antonio quickly ran to the door.

"Mia! He's waking up!" He called through. He was back by Jayden's side, holding his hand as Jayden's eyes fully opened, and he groaned a little, starting to look around. "Jayden, we're all here."

Mia came in, and grabbed a light off the sideboard, beginning to shine it into his eyes to check for a reaction.

"Jayden, are you alright?" Mia asked him. "Are you in pain? Speak to me!"

Jayden just looked to her.

"I'll be fine once you stop trying to blind me with that torch." He joked weakly. He looked to Antonio and smiled. "Seriously? He asked for her phone number?"

Antonio just laughed a little, realising he was talking about the story about the bank robbery he had been reading to him.

"She passed it along to the police." He told him. "The cops said they couldn't believe how much of an idiot he had to be not to realise he'd be caught. Who'd want to date the guy that held them at gunpoint?"

"Stranger things have happened." Mia replied, but looking between Jayden and Antonio, she could see that they weren't paying any attention to her. "Alright, I can tell when I'm surplus to requirements. I'll be back in a little while to check on you."

With that, she left them alone. Antonio just looked to Jayden.

"You gave us quite a scare." Antonio told him. "You gave me a pretty good scare."

"How long...?"

"It's been two days." Antonio answered him.

"Help me get up." Jayden told him.

"Jayden..."

"I think I've been in bed long enough." Jayden insisted. "Help me..."

"At least let Mia check you out first." Antonio pleaded with him. "You have been out for a couple of days, and in case you haven't noticed, Xandred did kind of leave you a little extra crispy."

"I thought I smelled burnt bacon." He remarked, looking to some of the burns on his body. "Alright, fine, let the nurse in."

"That's all I ask." Antonio answered as he went back outside to fetch Mia. Jayden just lay back in the bed, waiting for the examination to come. He could remember every detail of the battle vividly, not only from the battle itself, but because for the entire time he had been out, he had replayed it in his mind, over and over, trying to see what he did wrong, hoping to find some way they could change the result if he ever came back. Mia came back in, and took a seat next to him.

"Just relax, this shouldn't take long." She assured him.

Over at Central High School, Jimmy, Vicky, Melanie and Spike were sitting having lunch. Vicky was a little quiet, and could barely look at Spike. After the earthquake, she really couldn't straighten out what was going on in her head, and having Spike near her was not helping at all. Melanie was just looking around edgily.

"Have any of you seen Mal?" She asked. Spike just nodded.

"He went out for lunch." He told her. "He said he had something to take care of in the town."

"What?" Jimmy asked him. Spike just shrugged.

"He didn't say." Spike answered. "It's probably got to do with all those times he disappears after school."

Melanie didn't say anything. Mal had already told her what he did in the evenings, but he also told her he hadn't told his friends for fear that he would be teased. He had been giving dance lessons in the evenings as a way to get some extra money.

Just then, they all jumped as Cody flipped off the wall and landed right in front of them. Melanie let out a shriek and held a hand over her heart as it threatened to beat straight out of her chest.

"What the hell?" She asked. She found it curious that none of the others seemed to be bothered once they saw him. "Who is this?"

"It's just our friend Cody." Spike told her. "He's the kid the football team tried to jump at the comic book store. Cody, this is Melanie."

"Oh." Cody replied a little abruptly. He just seemed to stare at her for a few moments, not saying anything. He recognised her name from what Vicky had told her, and he knew about the suicide attempt. Even though Emily had explained a few things, and he now understood the subject a little better, she still really didn't know what to say to her. It was one thing when it was just a name, but coming face-to-face with her, knowing what she had done, it was quite another.

"What?" Melanie asked him.

"Oh...uh...nothing." Cody replied nervously, pointing to Vicky. "I just came to speak to Vicky."

"You know, you really should find a different way to make an entrance. Vicky chuckled. Cody offered her a hand and helped her to her feet. He smiled as he looked to her.

"I've got my outfit for the dance." He told her. Vicky forced herself to smile hearing this. Having both Spike and Cody so close, if anything, only made her more confused. "I can't wait."

"Yeah, it should be a good night." She answered.

"Dad's really happy to see me go to my first dance." He told her. "He's making a huge fuss. You'd think I was going to college or something the way he's going on."

"I don't think it's the dance he's so excited about." Jimmy sniggered. "I think it's the fact you have a date."

Vicky smiled a little hearing this. It was still confusing, and no matter what she did, she couldn't imagine a way to decide what her feelings for Spike and Cody were, but her brother, albeit in his own annoying way, had hit on something. She was going on a date with Cody. She was sure that the dance would be just what she needed to straighten it out in her mind. Spike was her first crush, and she had agreed to go out with Cody when she resigned herself to the fact it wasn't going to happen, but Cody was a sweet guy and the dance was always a romantic evening...at least...from what she had seen when she and her friends sat in the corner watching the couples dancing at previous dances. No doubt, the dance would clear it up once and for all. She was with Cody, he was the one.

"Well, if you're nervous, it'll be my first date too." She told him. Just then, one of the teachers, who was just passing by looked at them a little curiously.

"Hey!" She called out. "You there, who are you?"

"Uh...time I was going I think." Cody replied, running up the wall and pulling himself onto it, before sprinting across the rooftops before she could arrive. Since he wasn't a student there, strictly speaking he had no right to be on the premises. The teacher resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to catch him and just left.

"Well, that's a pretty novel way of getting around." Melanie commented.

"Yeah, it's kind of Cody's thing." Spike told her. "You get used to it."

"I'll bet." Melanie mumbled as she went back to her sandwiches. It was strange to her to think that mere weeks before, she thought of them all as freaks, and wouldn't have given them the time of day, but now that she had gotten to know them, she was finding that the things that made them unique, the very things that made them objects of scorn were some of the things that she liked about them. She couldn't help smiling as she took a sip from her juice.

Back at the Shiba House, Ji arrived after coming home from Brenda's apartment. As he came into the house, he found the others assembled in the Living Room.

"How is she?" Emily asked him.

"Brenda is coping well." He told them. "She is going back to work soon on a trial basis."

He then looked around, noticing they were all in uniform.

"What is happening?" He asked them. "Why are you all assembled in uniform?"

"Because their shogun told them to." He heard Jayden's voice behind him. He turned around, elated to see Jayden standing in the doorway to his room, also in uniform. He still carried his burns and his other injuries, but he stood with authority before him.

"Jayden!" Ji called out, elated to see that he was back on his feet. "But...you should be in bed, you should..."

"I'm fine Ji, I promise you." He told him. "Now, fall into line."

Ji did as he was told, taking up his place beside the others. Jayden looked out over his Rangers.

"We were beaten. The last battle was easily the most decisive defeat we've ever suffered." He announced as he started to pace. "That's it; it's over and finished with. It's in the past."

He looked around them, buoyed by the determination in their faces as he spoke.

"We're down, but we're not out." Jayden told them. "We now know what we're up against, which means we now know why it's so important that we succeed. If Xandred could do that to us, the rest of the world doesn't stand a chance."

He turned to face them directly.

"I know every one of you is hurting. I am too." He continued. "But we know that even if Xandred's going to take time to recover, he won't let up. From now on, training intensifies. We see this to the end, no matter what. Is that clear?"

They all nodded in response.

"Alright, Ji, get changed, everyone on the training yard in ten minutes." He instructed them. As they all went to prepare, Ji came to Jayden. "I told you Ji, I'm fine. I'm not going to..."

"I have raised you since you were six; I know it would be pointless to argue now you've made up your mind." He told him, hugging him tightly. "I'm just happy you're back."

"Thanks Ji." Jayden replied with a smile. "Now, go and get changed. We all have a lot of work to do."


	29. A Pyrrhic Victory

The following days were remarkably quiet and uneventful, which was pretty much exactly what the entire city needed after the fateful "Dark Day" as the media had dubbed the day Master Xandred had surfaced in the city. There was still a very real sense of panic in the air, but after almost a week, people were starting to believe that it was safe to get back to normal.

Ji went to Brenda's place, knocking on the door gently. She answered, dressed in a suit, and smiled as she saw him. He presented her with a bouquet.

"Ji, they're beautiful." She commented as she took them from him. "Come on in, I'll see if I can find something to put them in."

"So, are you ready to go back?" He asked her. She took a deep breath as she looked out a vase and started to fill it with water.

"I'm still pretty nervous." She admitted. "I must have picked up the phone about a dozen times thinking about calling in."

"Well, remember that you're only working until lunch." Ji told her. "I can bring over some lunch for when you get home."

He had already offered to take her to work, and to pick her up afterwards, but Brenda had politely declined. Although all her therapist really expected of her was to go back to work for a few half days a week right now, she had already decided to take an extra step and make her way there and back by herself. He figured that at least he could be there for support before she went, and after she got back.

"That would be really nice." She answered, coming over and holding him closely. She kissed him softly, and started to hold him tightly, but she let out a grunt and pulled away.

She looked a little concerned, seeing him holding his ribs. He didn't really talk much about the Ranger battles, mainly because he didn't want her to worry about the chances he took. She didn't understand too much about it, but she did know that the suits protected them to an extent, and their powers helped them heal more quickly. Ji though didn't seem to be healing all that quickly.

"Ji, are you alright?" She asked him. Although she knew she had been hurt badly in the last fight, it troubled her that he seemed to still be in such pain. Ji just straightened up and smiled at her.

It was always something that troubled him. Even with the suit, even with the power, the fact was he was always keenly aware that he didn't bounce back from his battles quite as quickly as the others. As much as he had always insisted that age wasn't a barrier, and he was incredible shape, there were still certain limitations even he couldn't overlook. One of them was that it always took him a little longer to heal up completely from his injuries than the others. He could see that Brenda was worried, but he didn't want her to worry about him today.

"I'm fine." He assured her. "I am just a little tender."

"You've been a little tender now for a week." She reminded him with a note of concern in her voice. "Ji, maybe you should slow down a little. Take a break and..."

"I am afraid we cannot afford the time." He told her. "The others are back to training at full speed, I cannot expect more of them than I do of myself."

"But Ji..."

"Just...concentrate on yourself today." He insisted as he put his arm around her. "Your recovery is what is important right now. I will heal up in time."

Brenda wasn't exactly happy with the way Ji was just fobbing her off, but she could tell that it wasn't something she was going to be able to force him to talk about before she had to go. He could be very stubborn when he wanted to be, and she knew that his age was a little bit of a sensitive subject for him at times, especially when it came to their relationship. She just nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll let it go." She told him. "Anyway, how do I look?"

"You look amazing." He complimented her. "Have a good day. I'll want to hear all about it when you get back."

"Get me some Thai green curry, and you'll have to try hard to stop me." She assured him, heading out the door.

"It's a date." He replied as she left. Outside the apartment, Brenda took a deep breath, before heading for the parking complex. As nervous as she was, she still couldn't help feeling like she was finally able to face the world again.

Over at Central High School, Melanie was sitting on a bench, a little way off, watching a bunch of cheerleaders talking in an animated manner, giggling and shrieking in delight. She didn't need to be able to hear to know what they were talking about; it was all anyone was talking about. The formal was on Friday night.

She couldn't help remembering a time when she would have likely been there with them, probably right in the middle of the group, with the others worshipping her. She was no longer the head cheerleader, the team had told the coach they had no confidence in her, and refused to perform under her guidance. It was something of a blessing in some ways, as it meant she wasn't the centre of attention, at a time when she really just wanted people to leave her alone. She had ended up quitting the team altogether just so she didn't have to spend any more time around the others than she had to.

The latest social Queen Bee, Amber, seemed to be regaling her enraptured audience with her plans for the night. Although no longer as keyed into the social grapevine as she had been, largely because when she had heard anything, it had been about her and her family situation, that Amber was planning to go with one of the ice hockey team. Gesturing to her hair a lot, she guessed she was telling them what she planned to do with her hair. She looked up as Mal arrived.

"Everyone's really going on about this huh?" He asked her. Melanie just nodded, and jerked her head towards where Amber was holding court with her admirers.

"I can't believe I ever used to look like that." She remarked. "I used to think all those kids that called us fake and superficial were just jealous and pathetic."

"Well, everyone's a little jealous of the popular kids." Mal conceded.

"I guess now I'm on the outside looking in, now I can see that there are so many more important things than some stupid dance...I can't believe I was ever like that." She commented. He just put a hand on her shoulder and stroked it gently.

"Hey, I think anyone would get a new perspective on things if they had to deal with half the stuff you have." Mal told her. "But, I think you are underestimating the importance of this dance."

"No, I really don't think I am." She mumbled. "It's just a stupid dance, with a bunch of stupid people..."

"Look, you haven't really had a whole lot of good experiences lately." He told her. "Maybe having a night for yourself would be a good thing."

"I'm not sure." She told him. "I would just feel like the others are staring at me and laughing..."

"They'll be too worried looking good themselves." He assured her. "They're harpies, just ignore them. We're all going; you can just come with us and have a good time..."

"I don't even have anything to wear." She told him. "I only have what's in my suitcase, and that..."

"Well, I thought this might be a slight snag." Mal told her, pulling out a little piece of paper and handing it to her. She took it from him and looked at it. Her mouth suddenly opened wide as she looked to him.

"Mal...?"

"I checked out the shop." He told her. "It turns out my cousin works there. When I gave her the name, she remembered the dress and told me it hadn't been sold yet."

"Mal, this is a receipt. You've paid for it in full!" She rushed out. "Do you have any idea what this cost?"

"Well, I did pay for it, so yeah, I kind of do." He told her. "About thirty hours of lessons for half the kids in Eastern."

He could see her starting to tear up, and put his arm around her, smiling.

"Surely you're not going to let me fork out all that for nothing." He asked her. "I mean, I have paid for it, so I could always wear it myself, but I don't think it'd match my eyes."

Melanie just looked at him, completely at a loss for words. After everything she had done all the rest of the year, the way she victimised other kids, she couldn't believe anyone would show her an act of such kindness. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly, causing him to laugh slightly.

"Well, I guess I can take that as a yes." He chuckled. She just nodded in response.

"I'll go." She told him. "It could be fun."

"We're all meeting at the food court in the mall at six." He informed her. "My cousin's holding onto the dress. You can pick it up any time."

As he left to head to his first class, she smiled. Getting up herself, she looked across and saw the cheerleaders all staring at her, having seen what had happened. She knew what they were likely to be thinking, but as she saw their judgemental looks, all of a sudden she decided she found herself unconcerned with what they were thinking. Mal had done more for her than any of them ever had. He had been there for her when everyone else was taking the opportunity to make her life even worse. She had seen what Mal was really like, and he was better than all of them put together. Without a word, she just gathered her things and made her way to her first class.

Brenda came back to the apartment after her day at work. It was only a half-day, at her therapist's recommendation, which was just as well. She had spent the day behind her desk, dealing with paperwork, but she was happy that she had managed that much.

Her co-workers were all supportive of her. She had arrived to find a banner on her door, welcoming her back, and a box of chocolates and some flowers on her desk. Even her boss, Superintendant Ramsay, had stopped by to ask how she was and welcome her back, despite how awkward he had to feel about it. During the investigation into her attack, he had revealed his feelings for her, and she was sure he had to be incredibly embarrassed about it, knowing that she didn't return those feelings.

Arriving back at her apartment, she could smell something coming from the kitchen. She smiled as she turned and saw the table in the middle of the room set for lunch, with chopsticks, and her best china. A couple of candles were lit, and some napkins had been folded into various Origami shapes.

She made her way into the kitchen, finding Ji by the cooker, preparing the meal. She came across, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, surprising him.

"I didn't hear you come in." He commented.

"You know, I was expecting take-out." She stated, looking to the meal on the cooker. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"It's no trouble. After your first day, I thought a little fuss was in order." He told her, stirring one of the pots. He tasted it a little, before throwing in some more spices. He looked to her and smiled. "So, how was it?"

"It was pretty uneventful." She informed him. "I spent the morning shoving papers around on my desk. It'll be a while before I feel like going on any inspections, but I got through the day without needing to call Siobhan, so I'm feeling really proud of myself."

"You have every right to." He assured her. He transferred some noodles into a serving bowl, and the curry into another, before placing serving cutlery in each. He turned off the cooker and picked up the bowls, taking them through to the living room with her. They both sat by the table as he laid the dishes down.

"How is everyone at the house?" She asked him.

"Everyone is making remarkable progress." He informed her. "A few moans and groans when we push ourselves, but it's nothing we aren't used to. Jayden's burns are starting to clear up."

"That's good to hear." She told him, deliberately reigning herself in from pushing the matter. She was always worried about Ji and the risks he took with the team, but this last battle had been the worst she had ever seen from him. She wanted to talk to him about it, and had assured him that he didn't have to be strong around her, but she also knew that pushing him on the matter would only cause him to become defensive, especially today when she had made such a breakthrough with her recovery. As always, Ji would never put himself first, even when he needed to, if there was someone else in need. In many ways, it was his way of hiding from things that upset him. "This is...this is really good."

"I've had a lot of practice." He assured her, taking a forkful himself. He raised a glass of water. She just raised her glass, tapping it to his and took a sip.

In the Netherworld, Serrator was sitting in the Junk, while Moogers ladled Sanzu water over him. He had come out on top, having turned everyone against themselves, leaving him as the single most powerful Nighlock left. Master Xandred had been confined to the bottom of the Sanzu River to soak, having expended most of his power to tackle the Rangers and stop him in his scheme. He knew from personal experience that such a process would take a considerable amount of time. When he had been forced to confine himself to the river, it had taken centuries. He doubted that Xandred would need that long, but certainly it would be long enough for him to have completed his plan. If all went well, by the time Xandred came back, he would rule both worlds, and even Xandred would be no match for him.

Dayu and Octoroo could only watch on, knowing that without any other means at their disposal, there was nothing they could do. In addition to being weakened by the battle themselves, they now knew that without Xandred to worry about, they would be under close observation. Serrator would not allow them out of his reach now.

He tried to stand, but was forced down by pain shooting through his body. He just gestured to the Moogers to keep soaking him.

"It has been something of a pyrrhic victory." He conceded as he looked to where Dayu and Octoroo were also incapacitated. "It will be some time before I have recovered enough to put my plan into action."

He could see that Dayu and Octoroo seemed buoyed slightly by this thought. Serrator's plan had left him with free reign over the Netherworld, but it had cost him a great deal to end up in that position. As slim as it was, there was some hope that Xandred or the Rangers would recover more quickly and be prepared to stop him. Although their agendas were different, it was now clear both of them had one thing in common. If Serrator won, then neither of them would have any hope.

"It looks like I'll have to rely on my forces to keep the Rangers interested until I am ready to resume my campaign." He commented. "Enjoy your respite Rangers, while it lasts."

Later in the day, Emily returned home from training Spike, Bulk and Cody. She had recovered enough to resume their training sessions. It was a great distraction from what had happened with the battle, something she was grateful for right about now. She also found it cute the way that Spike and Cody were so distracted. It had taken her a while to call them on the fact they weren't paying full attention to their training, but when Bulk informed her of the dance, she had ended up talking to them for quite a while about it.

She put down her bag, and started to look around for the others.

"Mike?" She called out. "Mike, you won't believe what happened at training today."

She started to come into the Living Room, finding her friends all sitting around waiting for her.

"Spike and Cody told me their end of year formal is coming up." She informed him. "They're both so excited about it! Apparently Cody has a date, and he's all nervous...it was so cute...!"

"I heard you were training them now." She heard a familiar voice say. Serena got up from the couch, smiling. "You wouldn't be trying to take my job from me now would you?"

"Serena!" Emily shrieked, running over to her sister and leaping into an enthusiastic hug that almost took her clean off her feet.

"Whoa, I'm pleased to see you too squirt." She answered. The rest of the Rangers all gathered around, sharing in Emily's excitement. After everything that had happened, Serena's arrival back at the house had come at a very opportune time. Despite their injuries, and despite the funk they had all ended up in as a result of their decisive defeat at Xandred's hands, Serena's presence had been just the lift they all needed. They didn't know when Serrator would make his next move, but right now, they felt like they would be ready for it, whatever it was.

Fin.

**A/N:** With the four-month hiatus until we get the new episodes, I've decided to take a break from the main storyline. You can rest assured; I will continue to write with a few side-stories, possibly dedicated to some of the side-characters. I hope you all enjoyed this, and here's hoping that September rolls around quickly.


End file.
